Joseph McCarthy was a Republican United States Senator who claimed that the federal government was filled with Soviet spies and Communists. His allegations led to the second red scare and the term “McCarthyism”. After the televised Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, his support dropped rapidly, and he was censured by the Senate in 1954. McCarthy continued with his political duties but was ostracized by his colleagues and died in 1957. His political career has made its way into American pop culture.
Joseph Raymond McCarthy, born November 14, 1908, rose from a rather unremarkable political career to become one of the most prominent figures in the anti-communist scare after the Cold War tensions of the 1950s. His actions led to what some historians now call the second red scare.
As a Republican United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1947 to 1957, Joseph McCarthy made several statements that the federal government was filled with Soviet spies and Communists. According to Senator McCarthy, Communists had infiltrated the United States military, President Truman’s administration, and the State Department. Even though McCarthy had no evidence to back up his allegations, his claims have led to several top officials losing their jobs and suffering irreparable damage to their careers.
The term “McCarthyism” is often used to describe this tumultuous and frightening period in US history, although the phrase does not necessarily refer to the actions of Joseph McCarthy alone. At the height of his popularity, Joseph McCarthy’s activities were supported by the American Legion, the Minute Women of the USA, the American Public Relations Forum, and a number of prominent Christian fundamentalists. Senator McCarthy was also a close friend of Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr.
However, support for Joseph McCarthy dropped rapidly after the televised Army-McCarthy hearings in early 1954. Although he was authorized to lobby the Army to give leniency to one of his former aides, the hearings made him appear reckless and dishonest to many voters. Soon after, Edward R. Morrow’s documentary See it Now added to the backlash by publicly attacking Senator McCarthy’s methods as reprehensible smear tactics.
In December 1954, the Senate voted to censure Joseph McCarthy by a vote of 67 to 22. This was a highly unusual form of discipline at the time, since the Senate had only invoked a censure on three previous occasions. After the censure, Joseph McCarthy continued with his political duties, but was essentially ostracized by his Senate colleagues. Soon, his personal struggles with alcoholism and depression escalated. Senator McCarthy died of cirrhosis and acute hepatitis on May 2, 1957 at the age of 48.
Over the years, Joseph McCarthy’s political career has made its way into American pop culture. The 1962 film The Manchurian Candidate features Senator John Iselin, a character closely based on Joseph McCarthy, and archival footage of Senator McCarthy’s speeches appear in the 2005 film Good Night and Good Luck. Also, REM recorded a song in 1987 called “Exhuming McCarthy”.
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