McCarthyism
As it relates to The Crucible
What is McCarthyism?
• It’s the term used to describe the false
accusations against many Americans for
belonging to the Communist party in the
1950’s by Wisconsin senator Joseph McCarthy.
McCarthy used the political climate of the
times to help himself climb the political
ladder.
Roots of McCarthyism
• In the late 1940’s, anti-Communist fear was
gripping the United States due to the bombing
of Pearl Harbor by Japan and the escalating
“Cold War” between superpowers Russia and
the United States.
Fear of “The Bomb”
• Russia, a new world power, developed the
Atomic Bomb, and both world powers were
afraid the other would be the first to use it.
Americans feared Communism would infiltrate
the United States, so to be called a
Communist was the worst thing someone
could say to you.
McCarthy Gets Involved
• In a speech to the Woman’s Club of Wheeling,
West Virginia on February 9, 1950,a relatively
unknown senator from Wisconsin, Joseph
McCarthy, claimed to have the names of 205
people working in the government, and that
the government knows this but is doing
nothing about it, therefore fostering
Communism in America
Name Recognition
• This not only made him famous, but he
realized that scaring people with Communism
was an easy way to advance his political
career
HUAC
• Formed in 1938, the House Un-American
Activities Committee was in charge of
investigating Communism in America.
McCarthy was part of this committee.
The Entertainment Industry
• In 1947, HUAC subpoenaed numerous film
writers, directors ,actors and others in the
entertainment industry and asked what
became known as the “$64 question:”Are you
a Communist.” This industry was targeted
because of their wide influence on the
country.
Hollywood Ten
• This was the name given to ten prominent
members of the entertainment industry who
did not cooperate with HUAC, citing the First
Amendment (right to free speech). They
received between 6-12 months in jail for
contempt of court
Blacklists
• With the studios caught up in the hysteria,
The president of the Motion Picture
Association of America stated that they would
not knowingly hire a member of the
Communist party. This led to the eventual
blacklisting (the term used for someone who
was suspected to be associated with the
Communist party and was not to be given
work ) of many famous people, especially in
Hollywood
Some Who Were Blacklisted
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Leonard Bernstein- Composer
Charlie Chaplin- Actor
Langston Hughes- Poet
Burgess Meredeth- Actor
Arthur Miller- Playwright (The Crucible)
Robert Oppenheimer- Director of Atom Bomb
Paul Robeson- America’s most famous black
actor
1950’s
• As the 1950’s progressed, McCarthy became
more powerful, preaching a false message of
Communist infiltration for his own political
gain, McCarthy went after authors, educators,
government workers, sea and dock workers,
protestors amongst others. In the end, it is
estimated that over ten thousand people lost
their jobs and over one hundred jailed due to
McCarthy’s accusations
MCCarthy’s Demise
• When he started accusing officials of the
United States Army, McCarthy’s motives for
personal gain became clear. By 1956,
McCarthyism had died down, and his
popularity was sinking fast.
Connection to The Crucible
• The McCarthy hearings were commonly called
“witch hunts,” comparing them to the events
we are going to see unfold in the story. The
main connection between the two was :
Accusation=Guilt