The Red Scare

In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson had better things to worry about such as his Fourteen Points and World War I. What he didn’t come to realize was that there was a man in America destroying the nationalism and trust of the nation’s people. A strong need for patriotism became needed in the citizens of the United States. If one was not patriotic enough, they were suspected of being criminal.(“Red Scare Image Database”) All of the accusations and destruction of reputations started at one source: Joseph McCarthy. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”)

In 1917 a Republican Senator named Joseph McCarthy stated he held in his possession a list of United States residents that were communists and anarchists. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”) He blacklisted (accused of Communism) TV stars, and U.S. government and military officials. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”) Actors and actresses such as Shirley Temple, who was only ten years old at the time, were accused of being communists. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”) He became really famous all over the U.S. for his so-called “Communist list”. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”) In 1954, hearings were held for the people on the list to see if they really were Communists. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”) Those questioned were also asked about who they thought could be a Communist. (The Red Scare: McCarthyism) Although many people in the United States believed these people were actually Communists, more people realized how unfair these hearings were. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”) Not many Communists were actually found. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”) A cartoonist called this action of putting suspected Communists on a list “McCarthyism” which meant fanaticism. (“The Red Scare: McCarthyism”) Joseph McCarthy changed America when he announced he had the list. He introduced an unsafe feeling for Americans towards their “supposedly” stable government. These hearings were not the end of the Red Scare.

During the Red Scare era, some laws were passed that restricted the rights of immigrants. In 1917, the Alien Act was passed. This act said that the Secretary of Labor had the power to “arrest or deport any alien advocating or teaching destruction of property or the overthrow of government by force.” (“The Red Scare”) With the passing of this act, the government was able to deport any immigrant that made the slightest “wrong move”. (“The Red Scare”) Over eight hundred people were deported and ten thousand were arrested. (“The Red Scare of 1919-1920 in Political Cartoons”) In 1918, another law was passed called the Espionage Act. (“The Wilson Administration: The Red Scare”) The Espionage Act persecuted anyone who “obstructed the operation of the armed forces, was insubordinate, or displayed disloyalty within the forces.” (“The Red Scare”) This act was especially passed to discriminate against anti-war groups. There were two main Union/Socialist groups in 1918. (“Red Scare Database”) They were the International workers of the World, or Wobblies, and the Socialist Party. (“The Red Scare”) The last act passed was the Sedition Act. (“The Wilson Administration: The Red Scare”) The Sedition Act stated that if a U.S. resident said or did anything against the U.S. government or military, they would be charged up to $10,000 and sent to jail for up to twenty years. (“The U.S. Sedition Act”) This law was unconstitutional because it went against our freedom of speech.