McCarthyism: An American Witch Hunt Jacob Kisor Junior Individual Website

The first time I had encountered the term McCarthyism was when I watched the movie Good Night and Good Luck. This film depicts Edward R. Murrow going up against Senator Joseph McCarthy which eventually led up to the downfall of McCarthyism. While this film did not provide all the facts regarding McCarthyism and its downfall, it did however get me interested in the topic The research I conducted on McCarthyism ranges from many different things. Such as my research on Senator Joseph McCarthy, who is considered a main figure associated with McCarthyism. Other central people that I researched are Milo Radulovich a victim of McCarthyism and Edward R. Murrow, who can be accredited to Senator McCarthys downfall. I have also done research on the House Un-American Activities Committee, and the lives that had been affected by their investigations. As we live throughout the 21st century the technology is increasingly advancing. The internet is most likely the biggest advancement that we have had in the last 20 years. Today the numbers of websites are in the hundreds of millions, and as we advance farther and farther with technology we must not forget the past. Soon books will be replaced by websites and we should try and preserve our history through websites so it will not be forgotten. I chose to do a website with this in mind, I feel that McCarthyism is something we need to remember or we might repeat the same mistake. The theme of Rights and Responsibilities in History can be connected to McCarthyism is various ways. During this era Americans would be trialed simply because they have/had beliefs or ideas similar to communism. Some didnt even have that, some were just normal people who may have been part of something in the past that had since been labeled as communist. Senator McCarthy and the HUAC are responsible for many people losing their jobs and families simply because they were being investigated. In many cases Americans freedom of speech would be completely undermined, to the point where any critic who was outspoken against McCarthy would be accused of being Communist. This era shows how the people responsible for fighting communism used the fear and distrust of others to abuse American rights.