Imagine, all of your acquaintances starting rumors of you being a spy against the United States of America, and soon, everyone believes it. This was the idea and understanding of McCarthyism, a way to label and outcast someone, to go against the government. Joseph McCarthy was a new age behind the idea of McCarthyism that provoked the government and was localized by the public. Joseph McCarthy’s early and adult life had a huge influence on his political life. His early life consisted of mostly family living. Joseph was born in 1908 in Wisconsin, which is where most of his life was spent. He excelled in academics, attended Marquette University in Milwaukee, and was elected president of his law class. After earning his degree in …show more content…
In 1946 McCarthy ran, and won the election for U.S senator in Congress. Again, as he was the youngest judge ever elected, in 1946, he was the youngest in Congress. During his time in Congress, Joseph leaned more towards conservatism and generally flew under the radar. That would soon change in 1950, when it became suspected that communists had infiltrated the U.S. government in the wake of high-profile espionage trials. Soon after this, Joseph stated that 205 communists had infiltrated the U.S State Department. Then he claimed to have 57 names from the U.S. Department communists, despite not knowing very much about international espionage. As well as this event, in 1950 McCarthy gave a speech at the Ohio County Women’s Republican Club. This speech helped push him into the public spotlight. This creating havoc for McCarthy’s ideas and statements. Causing him to be looked at, from a higher point of view. McCarthy made bold moves, and made his opinions very clear, making him for known in …show more content…
Besides the government reacting to McCarthy, the public had a huge reaction and impact on the idea. The public localized the idea of McCarthyism by the popularization of black lists.
Black lists and outcasting created a scare and brought paranoia to everyday life. McCarthy manipulated the minds of most Americans. He tried to make them believe that Communists were entering the country surrounding them, waiting to take over the U.S. However, many came to learn that all of this was a lie. Effective propaganda, convincing speeches, and influence from the Cold War made McCarthy so famous. He was on a hunt, looking for alleged Communists despite the fact that they did not exist (Riccardi). McCarthy had the mentality of wrongly accusing the public, and soon the entire public did not know who to trust. Henceforth close friends were quickly making accusations, gaining popularity, and becoming paranoid of who was