During the Cold War, people were afraid of communists, both outside and inside the United States. The Red Scare and McCarthyism that grew out of these fears was damaging to the American way of life. During the McCarthy years, many of the freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights were limited. Write a paragraph explaining what lessons can be learned from the McCarthy era about what U.S. citizens need to protect in order to preserve the democratic political system and American way of life.

Question

During the Cold War, people were afraid of communists, both outside and inside the United States. The Red Scare and McCarthyism that grew out of these fears was damaging to the American way of life. During the McCarthy years, many of the freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights were limited.  Write a paragraph explaining what lessons can be learned from the McCarthy era about what U.S. citizens need to protect in order to preserve the democratic political system and American way of life.

anonymous · Answer

@wwhitlock  can you explain this to me please?

wwhitlock · Answer

Yup, it will take a minute to type

wwhitlock · Answer

Senator McCarthy took advantage of people's fears to make wild allegations about Communists and their sympathizers in the United States. 
Hey set up a congressional committee to investigate "un-American Affairs"

Hey called lots of witnesses that for some reason or other seemed to be Communist. He questioned them in public at the committee hearings. He ruined peoples lives and careers by making these people look like a threat to there own country.

He also asked people to name other people who might be communist. Sometimes people would name others just to keep from being called infront of the committee. Then those people would be called in. "You've been accused of being a communist sympathizer" he would say and then go after them.

A lot of people in Hollywood and the entertainment industry were never able to work again because their names came up.

There's more if you want it.

anonymous · Answer

yes please

wwhitlock · Answer

In your paragraph, you need to bring the ideas into the present.  There are lots of parallels today. I'll mention a couple to get you thinking.
Muslims- ISIS and Al Queda and who knows else are a very clear threat to the United States presently. You probably know of people who want to deny civil rights to US citizens who are Muslim. That's the same kind of fear mongering that McCarthy worked from. 
Donald Trump is not original in the ideas. Plenty, too many, want to close mosques, persecute anyone wearing a hijab and all that stuff. 
Yes, there are some bad people who claim to be Muslims. But are they going too far?

At many colleges it is unacceptable to disagree with the "progressive" opinions. If you don't support abortion, thing Hillary or Bernie is the most wonderful choice for president, like Israel, like hunting, try to have an honest discussion about feminism, racism or other things, you get label as bad. You commit hate speech when you say those thing. You are racist, anti woman or whatever. 
We don't like your kind.
These aren't at the same level as a US Senator holding hearings. Some would say it's worse.
Americans have a responsibility to allow other people to disagree with them. That's what freedom of speech and thought, religion and the press are about. It doesn't work unless everybody gets it.

There's also the warning about political leaders getting too much power. But I think you have plenty for a paragraph.

anonymous · Answer

Thank you so much for your help.

wwhitlock · Answer

Any time. Thanks for listening.