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McCarthyism DBQ

70 min

Lesson Components

McCarthyism Warm-Up and Background EssayMcCarthyism DBQ Student Document Packet

Objectives:

  • Students will learn the historical background of the Cold War and McCarthyism and analyze documents related to anti-communist legislation.
  • Students will evaluate the threats to civil liberties, especially free speech, free press, and freedom of association, during national security crises.
  • Students will craft a thesis statement based on their learning.

Handout A: Warm-Up and Background Essay

Handout B: Student Document Packet

  • Document 1: The Alien Registration Act of 1940, also called the Smith Act
  • Document 2: Dennis v. United States (1951), Chief Justice Vinson’s Majority Opinion
  • Document 3: Internal Security Act of 1950, also called the McCarran Act
  • Document 4: Truman’s Veto of the Internal Security Act, September 22, 1950
  • Document 5: “McCarthy Cries Again,” Editorial, Collier’s, August 2, 1952
  • Document 6: Edward R. Murrow, “See It Now,” March 9, 1954
  • Document 7: Senator Margaret Chase Smith, “Declaration of Conscience,” June 1, 1950

The Warm-Up and Background Essay in Handout A can be assigned for homework before this activity. Small groups are recommended for the document analysis in the exploration portion of this lesson to encourage a higher level of participation and to allow students to compare and contrast their reasoning with one another.

Have students read the First Amendment on Handout A and answer the questions either in discussion or on paper.

Assign Students the Background Essay and accompanying questions on Handout A. Discuss answers with students.Distribute Handout B. Have students address the documents alone or in groups, as best fits your classroom. Note that the documents are longer than those appearing on the DBQ on the AP Exam.

  • Document 1: The Alien Registration Act of 1940, also called the Smith Act
  • Document 2: Dennis v. United States (1951), Chief Justice Vinson’s Majority Opinion
  • Document 3: Internal Security Bill of 1950, also called the McCarran Act
  • Document 4: Truman’s Veto of the Internal Security Bill, September 22, 1950
  • Document 5: “McCarthy Cries Again,” Collier’s, 1952
  • Document 6: “Edward R. Murrow, See It Now,” 1954
  • Document 7: Senator Margaret Chase Smith, “Declaration of Conscience,” 1950

Have students craft a thesis statement for the following prompt: Explain the extent to which anti-communist hysteria during the second Red Scare violated civil liberties.

Collect the thesis statements and use the DBQ rubric from the College Board to grade the submissions.

Student Handouts

McCarthyism Warm-Up and Background Essay

McCarthyism DBQ Student Document Packet

Related Resources

Video

The Rise and Fall of Joseph McCarthy | BRI’s Homework Help Series

4 Min

Our latest Homework Help Evidence of History video tells the story of the rise and fall of Senator Joseph McCarthy, a fierce partisan and demagogue whose battles against Communism in early 1950s America utilized the new medium of television to garner public attention. Preying upon the public's fear of communism within the U.S. government, he hurled accusations against numerous political enemies often with little or no evidence, and with scant regard to the principles of due process, free speech, and liberty. The new medium of television, which helped his meteoric political rise, would ultimately play a key role in his undoing.