Articles

"McCarthyism Was More than McCarthy": Documenting the Red Scare at the State and Local Level

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Abstract

Although the post World War II red scare is popularly associated with the activities of Senator Joseph R. McCarthy and his impact on the federal government, the anti-Communist hysteria of the 1950s actually went far beyond McCarthy and Washington, D.C. Institutions and individuals in communities throughout the United States experienced their own local versions of the red scare. The purpose of this article is to urge archivists involved in documenting local history to be aware of the need to collect materials related to the extreme anti-Communist reaction at the local level. Using the example of the author's study of the red scare in Houston, Texas, the article discusses types of records that are likely to prove useful for research in this important subject.

How to Cite:

Carleton, D. E., (1987) “"McCarthyism Was More than McCarthy": Documenting the Red Scare at the State and Local Level”, Archival Issues 12(1), 13–19. doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/archivalissues.10539