Wisconsin History Day By Day

Related Web Sites:

Read More About It

"McCarthy and the Fear of Communisim in American History" by Karen Zeinert

"Joseph McCarthy and the Cold War" by Victoria Sherrow

"Freedom in Jeopardy" by Burt Hirschfield

Vocabulary:

charged

Communist Party

spies

Interesting Fact:

After eighth grade, McCarthy dropped out of school. At age 20, he returned to school, completing four years worth of courses in nine months. The following year he enrolled in the Marquette University law school.

Study Questions:

Who was president at the time McCarthy made his accusation of a Communist speech writer in the White House?

Who did McCarthy defeat during the 1946 Senate election? Who replaced McCarthy in the Senate in 1957?

What were the results of McCarthy's hunt for Communists?

U.S. historical events that occurred on February 20:

1792: President George Washington signs the Postal Service Act creating the U.S. Post Office.

1962: John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth.

February 20

February 20, 1950: Sen. Joseph McCarthy charged in a Senate speech that a member of the Communist Party was employed as a White House speech writer. McCarthy's five-hour talk also mentioned three Communist spies in the State Department.

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February 20, 1950: Sen. Joseph McCarthy charged in a Senate speech that a member of the Communist Party was employed as a White House speech writer. McCarthy's five-hour talk also mentioned three Communist spies in the State Department.