McCarthyism Before McCarthy

Published: Jan. 5, 2021, 11 a.m.

Become a patron of the show and help me make even more great episodes! \nDonate by visiting www.patreon.com/trucepodcast\n\nMany of us are familiar with Joseph McCarthy and his infamous hearings on Communism in the US government. What we don't know is that McCarthy was far from the first person to use these tactics. In this episode of the Truce Podcast we examine the Rapp-Coudert Committee-- an effort in the New York City school system to root out Communists, Fascists, and Nazis who might be teaching students. In the end, even outspoken Christians participated in this witch hunt, which targeted mostly Jewish teachers and staff.\nDiscussion Questions:\n\nWhy were Americans so afraid of Communists?\n\nWas it against the constitution to withhold rights from people because Rapp-Coudert was just a hearing?\n\nWhat would you have done if you were accused of being a communist? Would you have named names?\n\nWhy were Jewish people targeted for violence by the Christian Front?\n\nDo the actions of one part of a group define the entire group? In this episode, some communists advocated for using schools to teach communism. But, to our knowledge, nobody in the district did that. Yet they were accused of having done so.\n\nWho do we scapegoat today in our society?\n\nKnowing that the Soviets did have spies working in the US government (like Klaus Fuchs who stole nuclear secrets), what should the government have done to root out spies?\n\n\nHelpful Links:\n\n\nBad Faith: Teachers, Liberalism, and The Origins of McCarthyism by Andrew Feffer\n\n\nFatty Arbuckle and the MPAA: episode of the Truce Podcast where we talk about how Christians censored the golden age of cinema\n\nThe Santa Clause comic strip from the top of the show\n\nSmithsonian article about Soviet spies\n\nBrief article about the House Un-American Activities Committee\n\nHelpful article about the Communist Control Act\n\n\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices