Question

Evaluate the five statements by the Republican senators. What was their purpose in issuing these statements?

Answer 1

The correct answer to this open question is the following.

Evaluate the five statements by the Republican senators. Their purpose in issuing these statements was to reflect about the credibility crisis in the federal government due to the accusations of Republican Senator from Wisconsin, Joseph MacCarthy, about what he thought that there had been ties with Communists in the federal government and the US forces. Led by Republican Senator Margaret Chase Smith, she and the other six Republicans believed that the accusations had created suspicion conditions not favorable for the nation and that blaming leaders of both political parties for their “lack of effective leadership," was not a responsible way to act.  

For instance, the first statement literally said that "We are Republicans. But we are Americans first. It is as Americans that we express our concern with the growing confusion that threatens the security and stability of our country. Democrats and Republicans alike have contributed to that confusion."

In these seven statements, the Republican senators tried to express that those unbacked accusations did not serve at that moment and only divided and hurt the American people and their institutions. That both, the Republican and Democratic parties had made some mistakes but they had to overcome it and remain united in the face of those accusations.