McCarthy's Oversight Abuses
Snapshot
Our snapshot of McCarthy’s Oversight Abuses is a classroom-friendly of our Portrait in Oversight on the same topic. Each of our snapshots is a four-page summary of the historical event. Included in the download, you’ll find:
- Comprehension questions
- Discussion questions
- Answer key
- Audio recording of the snapshot
- Spanish translation of all materials
I think it is high time that we remembered that we have sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution. I think that it is high time that we remembered that the Constitution, as amended, speaks not only of the freedom of speech but also of trial by jury instead of trial by accusation. Whether it be a criminal prosecution in court or a character prosecution in the Senate, there is little practical distinction when the life of a person has been ruined.
Joseph McCarthy was sworn into the U.S. Senate as a Republican from Wisconsin in 1947 and remained a senator until his death in 1957. During his tenure, he sat on the Senate Government Operations Committee, serving as full committee chair from 1953 to 1955. From 1953 to 1954, he also served as chair of its Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI), a panel charged with investigating and exposing waste, fraud, and abuse in a wide range of government programs. Focusing on Cold War fears of communism and subversion, Senator McCarthy became infamous for abusing his congressional oversight powers, spreading disinformation, and acting without regard for individuals’ dignity and constitutional rights.
Content Standards
MI USHG – 8.2.2 Analyze major domestic issues in the post-World War II era and the policies designed to meet the challenges by:
- describing issues challenging Americans, such as domestic anticommunism (McCarthyism), labor, poverty, health care, infrastructure, immigration, and the environment.
- evaluating policy decisions and legislative actions to meet these challenges.
