AP US History in 1 Minute Daily: The Second Red Scare (Day 267/309)

Hey APUSHers, let’s chat about the Second Red Scare as part of my series- APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!

The Red Iceberg, Wikimedia Commons

The Second Red Scare gripped the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, fueled by fear of communist infiltration and espionage. 

Executive Order 9835, Wikimedia Commons

President Truman established a loyalty program requiring government employees to undergo loyalty checks, resulting in dismissals and the stigmatization of those deemed disloyal. 

“It’s Okay… We’re Hunting Communists,” Library of Congress

The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) conducted hearings targeting suspected communists in various sectors, leading to widespread blacklisting and the erosion of civil liberties. 

“I Have Here in My Hand,” Bill of Rights Institute

Also known as McCarthyism for Senator Joseph McCarthy who played a central role in launching highly publicized investigations and making unsubstantiated accusations of communist sympathies against government officials, Hollywood figures, and others. 

Newspaper Article, The Penn

While many Americans were charged with disloyalty, celebrities, including the Hollywood Ten, immigrants, and members of the LGBTQ community were especially targeted and faced blacklisting, deportation, imprisonment, and execution as in the case of the Rosenbergs.

The post World War II era was marked by heightened anti-communist rhetoric and a climate of fear, with individuals facing persecution for their political beliefs during the Second Red Scare. 

Join me tomorrow as I explain the Cold War Arms Buildup and Space Race in the next APUSH in 1 Minute Daily!