Question

Who was Senator Joseph McCarthy, and what was his role in the second Red Scare?

Answer 1

Joseph Raymond McCarthy was an American politician who served as U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Senator Joseph McCarthy fed the increasing panic, using unfounded rumors and intimidation to gain notoriety as a potent government figure; with this newfound fame and influence, McCarthy denounced numerous public figures as being communist supporters. His victims included government officials, celebrities, intellectuals—anyone opposed to his view point. Most people black listed by McCarthy were innocent, but many lost their reputation, and often their employment, regardless. McCarthy dominated the anti-communist sentiment until the Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954 all but ruined his credibility. McCarthy was censured that year and died, his own reputation in shambles, three years later. To this day, the term “McCarthyism” remains synonymous with the Second Red Scare, metaphorical witch hunts, and the persecution of the innocent.