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Essay / Joseph McCarthy - The American Witch Hunter concept was not necessarily respected. In our more modern history, one of the most striking examples of this can be seen in the American quest to deter subversion and engagement in communist belief. From this determination to stop the spread of communism on the home front came one of America's most notable antagonists: Joseph McCarthy. Ruthless in his efforts to expose domestic communist involvement, McCarthy terrorized the nation under the guise of patriotism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get the original essayBackgroundJoseph McCarthyA senator from Wisconsin, McCarthy rose to prominence after giving a speech in which he claimed to have the names of 205 employees of the government that were associated with the Communist Party (Simkin, 2015). This metaphorically put him in the public spotlight; and in combination with the recent spread of communism in parts of Asia, this earned him the position of Chairman of the Government Committee in Charge of Senate Operations. It was while he was president that his investigation into subversive activities ensued. The Witch Hunt Developments in Asia regarding the spread of communism created a sense of urgency in protecting the home front from subversion. McCarthy engaged in interrogations and investigations of people considered a potential threat. The processes he and his committee used were far from fact-based, and the manner in which they were conducted earned them the image of a witch hunt so to speak. Their quest to rid America of communism was about more than sniffing around; McCarthy also had several thousand publications removed from stores and libraries because they were written by people associated with communism or because their content was believed to support communist ideology. McCarthy's reign of terror lasted about two years, until he began to question allegations of communist infiltration into the United States. States military. For the first time, his interrogations were televised, enlightening the public about the coercive and illogical procedures that had taken place (Simkin, 2015). McCarthy's investigations reached the point where they were considered more harmful to society than communism itself. Not only did the investigation into the military actually result in the president's conviction, but the court of public opinion found McCarthy guilty of being, in many ways, a malicious and unethical man. He began each investigation with the assumption that the person being interviewed was guilty, regardless of conflicting information; and continued his attack unabated until the individual named others involved in the Communist Party (Simkin, 2015). What is so serious about this behavior is that it disregards the constitutional rights of the American people. Under the Constitution, we, as citizens, are afforded protections against deprivation of liberty without due process. McCarthy used McCarthy's tactics and deprived those he accused of their right to a trial right before they were found guilty. Furthermore, by censoring publications to the extent that he did, McCarthy is arguably guilty of violating the First Amendment, freedom of speech. Not only.
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