Did Joe McCarthy go too far?

 

Introduction

        It is 1954. The Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union is nearing the end of its first decade. In Washington DC, the public life of Joseph McCarthy has drawn to a close. It is now time to evaluate his public life. Joseph McCarthy is on trial in this classroom. Has he gone too far in his battle against Communism in the United States? Is he violating the Constitution and the Bill of Rights in his desire to protect the country?

 


Stalin and the USSR: Was Communism something to fear?


Task

Your task is to investigate the events during the McCarthy era. You will be prosecutor, defense attorney, and jury. As you look through several events of the 1950s, you will see what evidence supports the prosecution, what evidence supports the defense. After you have accumulated the evidence, you will then evaluate it and come up with an innocent or guilty verdict. You must than write a one page essay justify your decision.

 

Process

        This is the process that you should use to get information on Joseph McCarthy and Communism at the time. Gather evidence for both sides. The defense can look to the Soviet Union and life there to get an idea of what Joseph McCarthy was afraid of.  What was so bad about communism at the time? (Extra Credit: How did this differ from the original ideas of Karl Marx?) Use the websites for the defense to research life in the Communist Soviet Union under Josef Stalin.  For the prosecution, how did what Joseph McCarthy did violate rights established in the U.S. Constitution? What affect did his political maneuvers have on the lives of Americans? After you have accumulated evidence for both sides, write your verdict of the trial. Then you must explain why you voted the way you did. You must address evidence from both sides in your explanation. These should have the steps that we have discussed in class. As a reminder, these are:

 

1.   Identify the Problem- What is Joseph McCarthy on trial for? Identify problem

 

2.    Gather Evidence- What information do the websites give you on life under Joseph Stalin? What were the results of some of McCarthy’s hearings? How were lives affected? Gather evidence

 

3.   Determine the causal factors behind the issues.  What were anti-Communists in the United States afraid of? Why were so many Americans sympathetic to the cause of the Communist Party in the United States? Determine causes

 

4.   Evaluate the Policy- What should be done to Joseph McCarthy, in light of this information? Is he a defender of America or a violator of the Bill of Rights? Evaluate the policy

 

5.   Comparative Analysis- How does this compare with my expectations and the expectations of my peers? How does this compare with what I’ve learned about Joseph McCarthy, Communism, and the Bill of Rights from other sources? Comparative analysis

 

 

Resources


General background:
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/mccarthyism.html


For the defense:
http://www.trussel.com/hf/stalin.htm

http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/stalin.htm

A pro-McCarthy site: http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1996/vo12no18/vo12no18_mccarthy.htm

 

For the prosecution:
http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schrecker-age.html

Here are some citations from the above site that are particularly useful:

http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/congcomms.html

http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schrecker-blacklist.html

 

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthyism.htm

 

 

Evaluation

 

Category

Worksheets

Evidence Used

Verdict and Explanation

Excellent                    5

Shows clear understanding of social problem, its causes, and public policy that arose from it.

Uses multiple pieces of evidence based on documents, website links, other sources

Has correct format, stated and analyzed the problem, created and considered possible solutions and evaluated historical situation

Good                          4

Shows a good understanding, with few errors

Uses little evidence from each side.

Has few errors in format. Missing depth in solutions or historical evaluation.

Satisfactory                3

Shows little understanding, with many errors.

Uses evidence from only one side.

Has several errors in format. Missing analysis of solutions or historical evaluation.

Needs Improvement   2

Lacks understanding. Large segments of worksheet are incomplete.

Uses little evidence from only one side.

Incorrect format, Missing

Unsatisfactory            1

Incomplete/ Not turned in.

No Evidence from research used.

Incomplete / Not turned in.

 

 

Your grade will be determined as follows:

          Grade of A, you need a total of 13-15 points.

          Grade of B, you need a total of 11-12 points.

          Grade of C, you need a total of   9-10 points.

          Grade of D, you need a total of    7-8  points.

          Grade of F, is less than 7 points.

 

 

Standards

 

Social Studies:  Standard 2

·       The student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments and turning points in world history, and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

 

Social Studies:  Standard 3

·       The student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live- local, national, and global- including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.

 

English Language Arts:  Standard 1

·       Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.

 

English Language Arts:  Standard 4

·       Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.