STAGE THREE (Learning Experiences: Daily Lesson Plan)
Name: Seth Ziegler
Title of Lesson: Targets of HUAC and McCarthyism
Grade Level(s): 11th grade
Strategy (Direct/Indirect): Direct Instruction
PA Academic Standards and Assessment Anchors (where applicable):
• 8.3.12.A - Evaluate the role groups and individuals from the U.S. played in the social, political,
cultural, and economic development of the world.
• 8.3.12.D - Evaluate how conflict and cooperation among groups and organizations in the U.S.
have influenced the growth and development of the world. Ethnicity and race, Working
Conditions, Immigration, Military conflict, and economic stability.
NCSS Standards:
• Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
• Power, Authority, and Governance
Enduring Understanding(s):
• Students will understand that after World War II, America had new enemies both foreign and
domestically.
• Students will understand that during the Cold War persecution of certain types of people were
more accepted than it would be today.
Essential Question(s):
• How were the new enemies of America seen through the government and common citizens?
• How did persecution of certain individuals and groups start to change over this time period?
Specific Content (Code)
A. Anti-Communism
1. HUAC
2. Joseph McCarthy
B. People persecuted by HUAC and McCarthy
1. Alger Hiss
2. Julius and Ethel Rosenberg
3. Hollywood Ten
Specific Objectives (Code)
A 1-2. Analyze HUAC and Joseph McCarthy
B.1-3 - Identify each individual or group and see how they were persecuted
Specific Formative Assessments (Code)
A 1-2. Questions about HUAC and Joseph McCarthy.
B1-3. Questions about each individual or group about how they were persecuted by HUAC or
McCarthy
Procedures (Include and Label ALL Components: DETAILED:
Lesson Beginning (Motivation, Review, Overview)
Motivation
-Questions
• Ask students if they like being accused of something they did not do.
• Student is doing something they shouldn’t be doing and then blames what is done on their
friend and they get blamed, does that seem fair or right?
Review
-Questions
• Briefly go over what HUAC stood for and what they heard cases about and who McCarthy
was.
• What did HUAC stand for? - House Un-American Activities Committee
• Who was Joseph McCarthy and what did he attack? - a senator from Wisconsin and
communism.
Overview
• Today we will be looking at some actions taken against certain individuals and groups of
people by HUAC and McCarthy.
• Announce that these people are important and may be good topics for questions for a test, so
the student should try and take good notes about them.
Lesson Development
• The teacher will then ask the students again if they feel like it would be right or fair for an
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
authority figure to take information given to them by someone about another individual and
completely believe it.
The teacher will use an example of there was a graffiti drawing on a wall and a student says
that another student did it.
The first individual the class will be covering is Alger Hiss.
Alger Hiss worked in the state department. A former Communist spy Whitaker Chambers
comes forth to one of these groups that are hearing about Communist activities and accuses
Alger Hiss of being a Communist spy for the Soviet Union.
Whitaker Chambers produces microfilm from a pumpkin where they were hidden that shows
government documents that he claimed were from Alger Hiss’ typewriter.
Because Chambers produced these microfilms from a hiding spot of a pumpkin they became
known as the Pumpkin Papers.
Alger Hiss denies these accusations of being a Communist.
Too many years had gone by to convict Alger Hiss of espionage.
However, Hiss was convicted later of perjury.
Ask students if they know what perjury is.
Explain that perjury is giving false information while under oath.
Alger Hiss was sent to jail.
In 1954 Hiss was released but disbarred meaning he could know longer practice law as a
lawyer.
Hiss argued he was innocent but in the 1990s after the Soviet Union had fallen apart, a Soviet
cable from the National Security Agency seemed to have proven his guilt with evidence.
The teacher will then ask if the students feel that with the evidence provided of microfilm that it
should have been enough to convict Alger Hiss.
The teacher will ask if the students feel his conviction was a good thing or a bad thing.
The Second individuals we’ll be covering are the Rosenbergs.
The Rosenbergs were Julius and Ethel.
In late 1949 the Soviet Union tested an atomic bomb.
It wasn’t expected by the U.S.A. that the Soviets would have an atomic bomb for at least 3 to
5 more years.
People wondered if there were spies in the U.S.
A German physicist, Klaus Fuchs, admitted to giving the U.S.S.R. information on the bomb.
Fuchs implicated the Rosenbergs as partners.
The Rosenbergs were minor members of the American Communist Party, they denied these
charges.
The Rosenbergs said that they were being persecuted for being Jewish and because of their
radical beliefs.
• While they were on trial they pleaded the Fifth Amendment, meaning they did not want to
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
incriminate themselves.
They were founded guilty of espionage and sentenced to death.
The Judge that overheard their case was Judge Irving Kaufman who said their crime was
“worse than murder”
To the judge he thought their actions were responsible for one of the deadliest clashes of the
Cold War.
The teacher will then ask students if they felt that the sentence that the Rosenbergs received
was warranted or was abuse of power.
The teacher will ask the students if he admitted to the principal of the school that the whole
class was cheating, and the principal decided to make you all fail, would that be fair?
The teacher will explain that there might be some cases of cheating but not enough evidence
to support the actions of having the whole class fail.
The third, and last group the class will cover is the Hollywood Ten.
The teacher will explain to the students that pressure from the Republican party forced
president Truman to be toughen up on how to deal with Communists.
In 1947 president Truman issued executive order setting up Federal Employee Loyalty
Program, which included the Loyalty Review Board.
The purpose of this program was to see if Federal employees were loyal to the USA and to
dismiss those who were not.
From 1947-51 the program reviewed 3 million employees and dismissed 212 as security
threats and about 3,000 resigned because they did not want to be investigated.
HUAC in 1947 investigated the film industry for Communist influence.
HUAC thought that Hollywood was sneaking Communist propaganda into films. In September
of 1947, HUAC subpoenaed 43 witnesses from the film industry. Most were friendly and
cooperative.
There were ten people of these 43 that did not cooperate and denied the accusations of
Communist influence in the film industry. They did not cooperate because they felt the
accusations were unconstitutional.
Because these 10 were not cooperative they were sent to jail, and in response Hollywood
made a blacklist.
People put on the blacklist were condemned for having Communist backgrounds and could no
longer get acting jobs in Hollywood.
About 500 were affected by the blacklist which included writers, directors, actors and
producers. They could no longer get jobs in the film industry.
The teacher will then ask students who their favorite actor(s) are.
The teacher will then explain that it would be like if their favorite actors were accused of
something and then could no longer get jobs in movies.
Lesson Ending (Review, Preview, Closure)
Review
• The teacher will ask several questions regarding who Alger Hiss was and what he was
accused of.
• What Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of and what happened to them.
• What the Hollywood ten were accused of and what happened to them.
Preview
Announce that the next time will be taught by Mr. Allen and he will be covering more Racial
issues of persecution through the Civil Rights Movement.
Meaningful Student Involvement (Indicate how the students will be meaningfully engaged in
the lesson):
• Students will be asked several questions that relate to themselves, and then related to class
material.
• Students will be asked some questions that will relate the material to their personal lives.
Special Adaptations/Modifications:
• For students with special needs there will be a hand out note sheet with fill in the blank.
Anticipated Difficulties AND Modifications:
• The projector might not work, making the teacher have to write on the chalkboard. The
students may not be paying attention, which may lead to the teacher using some classroom
management strategies that they have learned.
Physical Structure:
• There will be rows of desks and several desks in the row. All desks will face the front of the
classroom, where the teacher will be presenting the lesson from on a Smartboard. There will
be a screen in the front of the classroom as to project a slide show for the students as well.
Materials:
• Projector, Smartboard, chalkboard, if needed.
References (2)
• Communism. (n.d.). Merriam-Webter.com. Retrieved January 28, 2014, from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communism
• Piott, S., (2013). Cold War America. Personal Collection of S. Piott, Clarion University,
Clarion, PA.
Reflection (Efficacy of the PLANNED Lesson: (Each lesson must have a reflection. Even
though the lesson was not taught [exception: peer teaching lesson] a reflection is needed.
Discuss the projected efficacy and why.
Effective
• Students enjoyed to learning about the lesson. The students felt some of the actions taken by
the groups of HUAC and McCarthy were wrong. The students really liked and participated in
the questions that related to lesson material to their lives.
Ineffective
• One or two students did not care for the lecture and put their heads down and did not pay
attention. The teacher tried to use some classroom management strategies for these
students.