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The First Red Scare
The first red scare was the first wave of communist paranoia in the United States. Starting in the 1920's, it set the stage for McCarthyism by establishing a history of communists as villains in America. -
Executive order 9835
Executive order 9835 was signed by President Truman in 1947, and it allowed the government to screen for employees with connections to communist or totalitarian governments or advocating for altering the government in an unconstitutional way. It was the first action taken to keep communists out of the government. -
Alger Hiss and the Soviet Atomic bomb
The soviet bomb test, which happened years before American scientists predicted it would, revealed the hand of spies in the American government. The Alger Hiss case is just one of the trials of public opinion that happened so often during the McCarthy era, and while Hiss was not convicted of communism, he did go to prison for 5 years. -
McCarthy's list
Joseph McCarthy, a senator from Wisconsin at the time, came forward with an alleged list of communists in the state department. He stirred up a media frenzy, creating such a paranoia across the nation that he gave his name to the time period. -
The Korean War
The Korean war caused rising tensions in the U.S., as it meant war- a proxy war, but still war, with the communists. -
Cheif Justice Earl Warren
A Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1953 to 1969, Earl Warren played a big role in the undoing of McCarthyism. In numerous cases including Slochower v. Board of Education, defending the rights awarded by the 5th Amendment, and Watkins v. United States, keeping the HUAC from punishing uncooperative witnesses with contempt of congress. The numerous decisions by Justice Warren helped topple the fearful atmosphere of the McCarthy age. -
John Henry Faulk and Aware Inc.
The beginning of the end of the McCarthy era was heralded by the CBS talk show host John Henry Faulk. With the fear of communism came companies looking to profit off of it. A host of "loyalty checking" companies sprung up over the decades, offering their services to broadcasting companies. One such company, Aware Inc., reported John Faulk to CBS, who fired him. Faulk in his unemployment sued Aware, and won the lawsuit in 1963.
