Student Resources

• Engage: Responsible versus Irresponsible
• Joseph McCarthy and Irresponsibility Narrative 

Teacher Resources

• Analysis Questions 
• Virtue in Action  
• Journal Activity
• Sources for Further Reading  
• Virtue Across the Curriculum  

• Irresponsibility: Acting on poor judgment or failing the trust others place in you. 
• Fascists: A follower of a fascist regime, which is a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control, and being extremely proud of country and race, and in which political opposition is not allowed.
• Communism: A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. 
• Subversive: A person who attempts to weaken or destroy a political system or government. 

Procedures 

• The following lesson introduces students to the civic vice of irresponsibility. Acting responsibly for oneself and others is essential to the health of one’s community. However, individuals can act with poor judgment and fail the trust of others. Students will learn that irresponsibility can damage the health of civic culture with fear and distrust.  
• Students will engage with the story of Joseph McCarthy as they consider the question: How can irresponsibility create an unhealthy civic culture of fear and distrust?   
• The main activity of this lesson requires students to analyze the story and actions of Joseph McCarthy. Students may work individually, in pairs, or in small groups as best fits your classroom. The analysis questions provided can be used to help students comprehend and think critically about the content. As the teacher, you can decide which questions best fit your students’ needs and time restraints.   
• Lastly, the lesson includes sources used in this lesson for further reading and suggestions for cross-curricular connections. 

Engage

• Distribute the Engage: Responsible versus Irresponsible handout to students. Review the scenario and instructions. 
• Scaffolding note: This activity works best in small groups to allow for collaborative creativity but can be done individually.  
• Allow students approximately 15-20 minutes to choose their option and prepare their campaign materials. 
• Have students select their favorite creation to share with the class. 
• Debrief the activity by asking students to respond to the questions at the bottom of their handout: 
• Scaffolding note: Have students respond to these questions individually and discuss with a partner if they are reluctant to engage in a class discussion.   

• Debrief Questions:  
  • Which candidate was more enjoyable to create a campaign for? Why?   
  • Which candidate would you realistically want as your student body president?   
  • What would be the likely outcome for the student government and school culture in Publius won? Brutus?  
  • Which of the two candidates acted responsibly in their campaign? Which acted irresponsibly? How would you define responsibility and irresponsibility based on this scenario?  
  • Is it important to consider the motivations and virtues of our elected leaders? Explain.  

Explore

• Transition to the Joseph McCarthy & Irresponsibility Narrative. Students will learn and analyze the story of Joseph McCarthy to understand a historic example of irresponsibility.  
• Scaffolding Note: It may be helpful to instruct students to do a close reading of the text. Close reading asks students to read and reread a text purposefully to ensure students understand and make connections. For more detailed instructions on how to use close reading in your classroom, use these directions. Additional reading strategies are provided for other options that may meet your students’ needs. 
• Essential Vocabulary: 
  • Irresponsibility: Acting on poor judgment or failing the trust others place in you. 
  • Fascists: A follower of a fascist regime, which is a political system based on a very powerful leader, state control, and being extremely proud of country and race, and in which political opposition is not allowed.
  • Communism: A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs. 
  • Subversive: A person who attempts to weaken or destroy a political system or government. 
• Transition to the analysis questions. Have students work individually, with partners, or as a whole class to answer the questions. 
• Scaffolding Note: If there are questions that are not necessary to your students’ learning or time restraints, then you can remove those questions.  
• Analysis Questions 
  • Why was the Cold War after World War II such a frightening place? Why did Americans believe that the Soviet Union and communism was “on the march” around the world? 
  • Were there communist subversives committing treason in the American government? Could the danger of spies selling secrets to the Soviet Union be controlled while also supporting constitutional rights and the rule of law in the United States? Explain your answer. 
  • Was the “red scare” of the 1940s and 1950s a product only of Joseph McCarthy? Which other individuals or groups contributed to government investigation of communist subversion during those decades? What constitutional rights seemed endangered by those laws and investigations? 
  • How morally responsible is Joseph McCarthy for the red scare or “McCarthyism” during the Cold War? Is a person responsible only for his or her own actions or should they bear a general responsibility for larger related events over which they don’t have direct control? 
  • How was Joseph McCarthy reckless in his accusations of a communist conspiracy to undermine American institutions and policy in the Cold War? Do you think he acted irresponsibly? Defend your answer with evidence. 
  • Why do you think other government officials and the American people turned against Senator McCarthy? Did they show courage in battling him or rejecting his accusations? What constitutional principles and civic virtues did they stand for in denouncing McCarthy? 

Assess & Reflect

Virtue in Action  

• Scaffolding Note: You may use this activity to help your students reflect on and apply the content they learned about Joseph McCarthy and irresponsibility. 
• Have students write a letter to their local congressperson in which they discuss the following points: 
  • Their study of Joseph McCarthy and what they learned about the importance of acting responsibly in the American republic; and 
  • The qualities and virtues that are important to them in choosing their elected representatives.  
• Share your class’s letters with your congressperson with an introductory letter from yourself. Encourage them to respond! 

AND/OR

Irresponsibility Journal Activity  

• Irresponsible leaders present a challenge to republican self-government because they manipulate a popular idea to persuade the people to act unjustly. 
• Have students self-reflect and answer the following question in their journal: 
  • Make a list of the ways that people can fight back against irresponsible leaders with various forms of technology, media, and social media today. Explain briefly how each answer would work. Be prepared to share your answers with the class. 

Extend

Sources & Further Reading  

• Explore the following list for additional sources and further reading on Joseph McCarthy.  
  • Chambers, Whittaker. Witness. Washington, D.C.: Regnery, 2014. 
  • Fried, Richard. Nightmare in Red: The McCarthy Era in Perspective (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990). 
  • Griffiths, Robert. The Politics of Fear: Joseph R. McCarthy and the Senate. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1987. 
  • Herman, Arthur. Joseph McCarthy: Re-examining the Life and Legacy of America’s Most Hated Senator. New York: Free Press, 1999. 
  • Schrecker, Ellen, ed. The Age of McCarthyism: A Brief History with Documents. Boston: Bedford Books, 1994.

Virtue Across the Curriculum  

• Below are corresponding literature suggestions to help you teach about irresponsibility across the curriculum. Sample prompts are provided for the key corresponding works. For the other suggested works, or others that are already part of your curriculum, create your own similar prompts.   
  • Mockingjay, from the Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
    • Suzanne Collins’ dystopian trilogy follows a young woman forced to compete in a series of violent games controlled by an authoritarian government. Was Katniss’ execution of President Coin an example of responsibility or irresponsibility? Explain.  
  • All the King’s Men, by Robert Penn Warren
    • This classic novel tells the story of the rise and fall of a southern politician during the Great Depression. Out of all the characters in the novel, which do you find the most responsible? Irresponsible? Explain your reasoning.  

• OTHER WORKS
  • Citizen Kane (1941), directed by Orson Welles 
  • The Manchurian Candidate (1962), directed by John Frankenheimer
  • Gladiator (2000), directed by Ridley Scott