Alien Registration Act:The Alien Registration Act was passed in 1940 and made it illegal for anyone to preach or teach about the overthrowing of government. Also, it required all alien residents in the US over 14 to file their personal and occupational status and their political beliefs. The acts main purpose was to undermine the American Communist Party and other Left Wing political groups in the US. The House of Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was set up by Congress in 1938 to enforce the act.
|
Communist Spies:In 1939, Julius Rosenberg and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg were executed after being found guilty of conspiracy to commit espionage in relation to passing information about the American atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. As American citizens, they received international attention.
|
Senator Joseph McCarthy:The Red Scare was started by Senator Joseph McCarth after he accused many government officials of being communist spies. He began a reign of fear and paranoia in American society. However, the american public felt he had gone too far when he started accusing American WWII war heroes of being communist spies. This did not stop the panic though, even more was caused by the fall of china and the development of the Soviet bomb. In the end, the Red Scare pressured Truman into the Korean War.
|