The Red Scare

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The second Red Scare

Index

The Second Red Scare

Louis Jaffe

Targeting American Citizens

W.E.B. Dubois

Hazel Scott

HUAC

Political Change in China

Hollywood Blacklisting

Claudia Jones

Blacklisting

The Rosenbergs

McCarthyism

Hollywood Ten

Paul Robeson

Paul Robeson

Alger Hiss

Political Changes in China

• Prior to WWII China was in the midst of a civil war between the Nationalist Party led by Chiang Kai-shek and the Communist Party led by Mao Zedong
• They had a temporary truce during WWII to fight Japan.
• After WWII the civil war resumed
• Poor citizens began to support the Communist Party. They saw it as a hopeful sign of increased economic freedom
• Despite financial support from the U.S. the Nationalist Party lost
• Mae Zedong and his communist forces took control in 1949
• The U.S. was worried about other Asian countries turning to communism

• Intense fear of communist invasion and infiltration
• political leaders feared that postwar economic programs were motivated by communism because they provided government assistance to struggling citizens
• Political leaders suspected other political or social movements of being communist

The Second Red Scare

• House Un-American Activities Committee

• a group of U.S. representatives who believed that it was the government's responsibility to expose any suspected communists or communist activity in the U.S.

HUAC

Alger Hiss

• A respected State Department official accused of passing classified documents to the Soviet Union in the 1930s
• The case became a national sensation, pitting Hiss's denials against accusations and circumstantial evidence.
• His trial (1949) divided the nation, igniting debates about due process and loyalty oaths.
• Hiss was ultimately convicted of perjury, sparking concerns about communist infiltration within the government.

The Rosenbergs

• Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were accused of providing atomic bomb secrets to the Soviets.
• Their 1951 trial featured intercepted messages and testimonies from former associates but lacked concrete evidence.
• Despite protests and international appeals, both were found guilty and executed in 1953.
• The case remains controversial, with questions about Ethel Rosenberg's involvement and the fairness of the trial.

• The HUAC believed that members of the Hollywood film industry were inserting communist propaganda into films
• People were called before the committee to defend themselves
• Ten producers, directors, and screenwriters appeared before the HUAC and refused to answer questions regarding communist affiliations
• They were held in “contempt of Congress” and many were sent to jail

Hollywood Ten

• named people suspected of having ties to communism
• the industry refused to hire them

Hollywood Blacklist

• Through intimidation and blacklisting HUAC attacked civil rights activists
• Taking a stand against racism was seen as unpatriotic and a challenge to the traditional hierarchy of the United States

Blacklisting

• musical prodigy, pianist, and jazz singer
• the first African American woman to have her own television show in the U.S.
• refused to perform in venues with racially segregated audiences
• called out discrimination in the entertainment industry
• She was blacklisted as a suspected communist sympathizer
• Her career was ruined

Hazel Scott

• acclaimed athlete, actor, singer, cultural scholar, author, lawyer, and international political activist
• spoke out against the treatment of African Americans
• In his testimony before HUAC he refused to answer questions concerning his political activities and lectured committee members about Black history and civil rights
• His passport was taken from him and he was unable to find work

Paul Robeson

• Joined the Communist Party USA after learning about the Scottsboro Boys case
• She wrote about the oppression that working-class Americans faced particularly African American women
• She was arrested and deported
• She committed her life to fighting for the liberation of African Americans in the U.S. and around the world

Claudia Jones

Louis Jaffe

• Social Studies teacher in Brooklyn
• Taught current events including the Cold War
• Was accused of spreading communist propaganda
• noticed that allegations of communist activity increased whenever teachers organized and spoke about injustices
• a teachers union in NYC demanded that schools discard racist textbooks and improve inner-city school and were accused of being communist
• more than 1,000 NYC teachers were harassed and investigated for suspected communist activity.
• Some were fired or suspended without pay, and others resigned when the intimidation became unbearable.

• W.E.B DuBois was a founding member of the NAACP, a civil rights organization established in 1910.
• DuBois published an essay during World War I, urging African Americans to support the war in hopes of gaining full citizenship.
• In 1951, DuBois was arrested by the Justice Department for his involvement in the World Peace Council.
• The U.S. government accused DuBois of being a Soviet agent due to his peace and disarmament activism.
• Although the charges were dropped, DuBois had his passport confiscated, preventing him from attending peace conferences.

W.E.B. DuBois

Joseph McCarthy

• U.S. Senator
• Became chair of the HUAC
• Spread anti-communist propaganda
• Encouraged citizens to report each other for suspected communist activity
• Initiated damaging investigations
• Used reckless and unconstitutional tactics