Assignment Name
Analyze, Synthesize, and Compare and Contrast: McCarthyism, Patriotism, and the Cold War Quest for Internal Security
Due Date
05/05/2022
Purpose
Students will demonstrate the ability to:
Analyze historical facts and interpretations
Analyze and compare political, geographic, economic, social, cultural, religious, and intellectual institutions, structures, and processes across a range of historical periods and cultures
Recognize and articulate the diversity of human experience across a range of historical periods and the complexities of a global culture and society
Draw on historical perspective to evaluate contemporary problems/issues
Analyze the contributions of past cultures/societies to the contemporary world
Skills
The purpose of this assignment is to help you practice the following skills that are essential for your success in this course, in college, in the field of History, and in your professional life beyond college:
Analyzing and synthesizing primary documents
Comparing and contrasting experiences and perspectives
Thinking critically about written information
Knowledge
This assignment will also help you to become familiar with the following important content in this discipline:
The post-World War II Cold War and the quest for internal security at home
The arguments and tactics of McCarthyism
The arguments against McCarthyism
Task
Read the excerpts from the materials documenting McCarthyism and Patriotism found in Content under Conflicting Viewpoints as CV 2. Complete and submit a ten-paragraph written assignment based on this content (and this content alone) addressing each of the three topics below and following the instructions and format for each topic:
Contrast the positions taken by Senators Joseph McCarthy in his Wheeling, West Virginia speech and Margaret Chase Smith in her “Declaration of Conscience” speech:
Senator McCarthy acknowledges two “momentous” differences that separate the Communist world from the West that, by themselves, need not lead to war. However, he describes one “real, basic difference” that has both sides engaged “in a final, all-out battle.” Identify these three differences and describe the one McCarthy maintains is to be feared the most. (Paragraph one)
McCarthy suggests that our great democracy is being threatened by “enemies from within.” How does McCarthy describe those enemies and what specific claim does he make to further alarm his audience while, at the same time, attacking the political opposition? (Paragraph two)
Senator Smith doesn’t mention Senator McCarthy by name, instead addressing what she calls “a serious national condition” that she fears more than the enemies McCarthy purports to pursue. Identify tactics Smith speaks out against in her speech that make clear her target is McCarthy and McCarthyism. (Paragraph three)
Smith also expresses her concern for the security of the nation against the “Communist design.” What criticisms does she make of each party in her speech and what advice does she offer in her “Declaration of Conscience” for how Republicans and Democrats alike can and should address this threat without overturning the American way of life? (Paragraph four)
Of the two Senators, McCarthy and Smith, that thrust themselves into the spotlight in defense of their country, which one do you consider to be the true American patriot, and why? (Paragraph five)
Examine the efforts of a printed media publication and a television news program to address McCarthyism:
How does Collier’s characterize McCarthy’s crusade and what specific “not cricket” McCarthy tactic is Collier’s calling out in its editorial “McCarthy Cries Again?” (Paragraph six)
What does Collier’s maintain it is not concerned about, and what does the magazine describe as its real reason for publishing this editorial? (Paragraph seven)
In Edward R. Murrow’s See It Now program on McCarthy he includes footage of the Senator’s cross examination of Reed Harris. What McCarthy tactic to smear Harris is Murrow highlighting here and how does Harris attempt to defend himself? (Paragraph eight)
What is the message Murrow is imparting to his audience when he quotes the line from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves?” What does he mean by this? (Paragraph nine)
Common themes in the opposition to McCarthyism:
The reading material provided reveals an influential American pursuing a patriotic cause, but doing so in the wrong ways and for the wrong reasons. What common themes can be found by comparing the three documents in opposition to McCarthyism? What do his critics find objectionable, and even anti-American, in McCarthy’s tactics? (Paragraph ten)
Criteria for Success
A submission that follows the instructions provided in the Task above will contain ten paragraphs. No introductory or closing paragraph is required.
The name of the assignment, Analyze, Synthesize, and Compare and Contrast: McCarthyism, Patriotism, and the Cold War Quest for Internal Security, should appear at the top of the submission.
This assignment is worth up to 100 points. Each paragraph will be scored by content based on the specific instructions for each – see the rubric for point values. Each paragraph should be concise but complete. Make sure you have addressed the questions as they were asked. Your submission should also be written in complete sentences, be grammatically correct, and contain no spelling errors. Points will be deducted for multiple misspellings, incomplete sentences, and grammatical errors.
One or two direct quotes from each document excerpt are permissible but should be brief. Do not include more than one sentence, or partial sentence, in a quote. When you choose to use a direct quote, you should identify the source by name within the paragraph (you do not have to provide endnotes or footnotes). Examples:
In her speech before the U.S. Senate, Senator Smith declared that she is “not proud of the way in which the Senate has been made a publicity platform for irresponsible sensationalism.”
According to the Collier’s editorial, “recently he [McCarthy] employed a new tactic which was definitely not cricket.”
In his program, Murrow concluded of the Reed Harris inquiry that all “McCarthy succeeded in proving [was] that Reed Harris had once written a bad book, which the American people had proved twenty-two years ago by not buying it, which is what they eventually do with all bad ideas.”
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