HUAC and the Red Scare - 1098 Words

As World War II came to a close in 1945, the Communist Party in America was beginning to simmer away. The government was worried that a Communist takeover in America would soon begin. They believed that these far-left ideas would destroy traditional American values. The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) was founded in 1938. Its original purpose was to find Nazi and Fascist sympathizers in Hollywood. After the war was over, the committee began targeting Communists. The government believed that the Communist uprising would begin in Hollywood because of the influential power of motion pictures on the American people. Directors, writers, producers, and actors could easily insert subliminal messages into their films to sway†¦show more content†¦I am forced to appear here as a representative of one hundred and thirty million Americans because the illegal conduct of this Committee has linked me with every citizen. If I can be destroyed no American is safe.† He believed that Americans had the freedom of speech and that his rights should not be infringed. Lawson was also angry about the committee’s infringement of his freedom to association. Lawson stated what he thought the government was trying to do: â€Å"They’re afraid of the American people. They don’t want to muzzle me. They want to muzzle public opinion. They want to muzzle the great Voice of democracy, because they’re conspiring against the American way of life.† What Lawson didn’t realize is that he himself was technically â€Å"conspiring against the American way of life.† Communism was very much against many of America’s ideas and freedoms. It attacked almost everything that made America one of the greatest countries in the world. Lawson had the right to join the Communist party because it was not a direct threat to the country itself, but it was still very un-American. Ronald Reagan’s testimony and John Howard Laws on’s testimony can be seen as starkly different but also, startling similar as well. Reagan stated that the messages seen in films with Communist influences had been stopped by many of the producers in Hollywood. He believed that these messages should not be shown to the public, while Lawson thought otherwise. What is similar betweenShow MoreRelated1950s Red Scare And Its Effects On The United States With Communism And Nuclear Espionage1239 Words   |  5 PagesCole Amadio US II Mr. Metz 12/2/15 1950s Red Scare In the 1950s there was a red scare that threatened the United States with communism and Nuclear espionage. The scare was questioned if it was conspiracy or not, but it was justified because of the spies and Soviet Union threatening the United states security. Through decryptions, trials and investigations these threats were justified because of the Venona project, the project was a secret organization that gathered and decrypted messages from sovietRead MoreThe Cormcible And The 1692 Salem Witch Trials And The Crucible711 Words   |  3 Pagesthis is. One such example is the crucible about the 1692 Salem witch trials relates to the 1950’s red scare. These two brutal times in history really may not look obviously related to each other but deeper into the story it becomes more apparent that they are fundamentally the same. The similarity’s become more apparent when you look at The Crucible than we will change perspective and look at the red scare a little more in depth and polish it all off by seeing why Arthur Miller wrote the crucible andRead MoreWith Direct Reference to at Least One Film, How Did Hollywood Address the Paranoid, Hysterical Political Climate of the 50s?1698 Words   |  7 Pagesbelieved in communism. This lack of mutual understanding caused mass paranoia within America as they feared that communists would infiltrate their society. This hysteria was known as the Red Scare which lead to â€Å"a range of actions that had a profound and enduring effect on U.S. government and society.† (Red Scare, 2013). During World War II â€Å"moviegoers learned to appreciate cinema for what it was: a powerful delivery system of ideology† (Doherty, 2003, p. 19) and after World War II â€Å"Soviet CommunismRead MoreThe Murder And Robbery Of A Shoe Factory1112 Words   |  5 PagesIn 1920, during the height of the Red Scare, a shoemaker, Nicola Sacco (1891-1927), and a fish peddler, Bartolomeo Vanzetti (1888-1927), were accused of robbing and murdering the paymaster and guard of a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts. Known as anarchists and draft evaders, the accused men faced a hostile judge and a public convinced of their guilt. Despite Sacco s corroborated testimony that he was at the Italian consulate in Boston at the time of the murder, the two were foundRead MoreFears Of Communism : The Cold War792 Words   |  4 Pagesemployees to be analyzed on whether they are loyal to the government or not. This order was directly associated with the Red Scare happening in the U.S. bec ause the president was afraid that communists would eventually take over the government and replace democracy with a dictatorship. Another political effect of the Red Scare was the House Un-Americans Committee (HUAC.) HUAC forced people in the movie industry to renounce left-wing political beliefs and testify against one another which caused moreRead MoreMcCarthyism: The Manipulation of Fear in America During the Red Scare600 Words   |  3 PagesMcCarthyism: The Manipulation of Fear in America During the Red Scare Is war the greatest weapon that political leaders can use? The answer is no because the manipulation of the minds of citizens can be used to enforce almost any demand imaginable. During the Red Scare, Senator Joseph McCarthy used this tactic to exploit the fear of Communists in ordinary United States citizens. The Red Scare was the most influential event on America in the 20th century because it made the U.S. biased againstRead MoreThe Crucible Response Essay930 Words   |  4 PagesMiller’s â€Å"The Crucible† was written in response to the United States and Russia Red Scare. Miller used the â€Å"The Crucible† to inform people of how hysteria of the Salem witch trials resembled the communist accusations happening within the American government. At the time, McCarthy’s â€Å"witch hunts† for communist committing sedition. As opposed to the Red Scare, â€Å"The Crucible† started due to an actual witch craft incident. The Red Scare however, began due to real accounts of treason and communism within UnitedRead MoreThe Hands Of An Angry God1627 Words   |  7 Pagesone would be rapidly and eternally damned to Hell; Miller, on the other hand, exploits allegory, characterization, and imagery throughout the play The Crucible in order to fervently articulate his disdainful attitude regarding McCarthyism and the Red Scare. Jonathan Edward’s use of imagery, metaphors, and symbolism in his sermon â€Å"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God† in order to instill fear in his congregation and reveal the message that, aside from faith and the pleasure of God, one would be rapidlyRead MoreEssay about McCarthyism as Modern Witch Hunts1614 Words   |  7 Pagescommunity was torn apart by this witch scare from the children to the elderly to the most devote citizens. As a result of both, lives were shattered, names blemished, and families were blown apart (Corrigan 118). Arthur Miller vividly describes the community of Salem as it turns on itself out of paranoia and false testimonies. The Crucible compellingly similar to McCarthyism in 1950s America in which neighbor turns upon neighbor accusing each of being a Red. Senator Joseph McCarthy is oneRead More The Parallels Between Arthur Millers Life and His Play, The Crucible1486 Words   |  6 PagesFew people are willing to stand up to the overwhelming power of authority, especially during a time like the Red scare. Hardly any authors are able to recognize meaningful similarities between the present times and an event that happened many years ago—and write about it effectively. Only one has had the courage and intelligence to do both. Arthur Miller was an American author who wrote plays, essays, and stories and has published works dating from to 1936 through 2004. The Crucible, one of his most