HIST405 Week 7 Case Study Latest 2018 November

HIST405 United States History

Week 7 Case Study Fear of Communism/Islam

Introduction

The Cold War brought about an irrational fear of communism and communist activities in the United States. As we are learning this week, one of the most vocal instigators of this paranoia was Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy delivered a speech about the imminent threat of communism on February 9, 1950. Our country again experienced a state of paranoia after the attacks of September 11, 2001, this time of Islam. (The purpose of this assignment is not to defend communism, but to examine the fear surrounding communism and Islam and whether it was/is valid.)

Instructions

Locate and read Joseph McCarthy’s speech given in Wheeling, West Virginia on February 9, 1950. Use the following key words in your search: Joseph McCarthy, Wheeling, West Virginia. The speech is also referred to as “Enemies from Within.”

Construct the case study by responding to the following prompts:

How does he define communist nations and what are the threats they pose?

Were his charges accurate?

Replace the word communism in his speech with Islam. Are there similarities between what McCarthy said about communism and what has been said about Islam, particularly shortly after the attacks of 9/11?

Do you believe it is valid to draw comparisons between anti-communist rhetoric and anti-Islam rhetoric?

Make sure to cite and reference sources. Make sure that the writing is clear, well-developed, and free from spelling and grammatical errors.