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Difficulty: EasyDomestic Cold War and the Second Red Scare

"I think that 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 also speaks of not only freedom of speech but also of trial by jury instead of trial by accusation. . . . As a United States Senator, I am not proud of the way in which the Senate has been made a publicity platform for irresponsible sensationalism. I am not proud of the reckless abandon in which unproved charges have been hurled from this side of the aisle."
— Senator Margaret Chase Smith, "Declaration of Conscience," June 1, 1950

Senator Smith's criticism of 'reckless abandon' and 'unproved charges' was most directly responding to which of the following?

  1. A
    The implementation of the containment doctrine through military involvement in the Korean War
  2. B
    The tactical disagreements over nonviolent civil disobedience within the Civil Rights Movement
  3. The political tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Second Red ScareAnswer
  4. D
    The creation of national economic recovery programs under the New Deal

Answer

The political tactics of Senator Joseph McCarthy and the Second Red Scare
The correct answer is correct because Senator Margaret Chase Smith's 'Declaration of Conscience' speech directly targeted the sensationalist, unsubstantiated accusations of communist subversion made by Senator Joseph McCarthy and other politicians during the Second Red Scare. She argued that these political tactics violated basic constitutional rights and damaged the integrity of the Senate.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the historical context of the provided source, noting the date (June 1, 1950) and the reference to 'unproved charges' and the Senate being used as a 'publicity platform'.
Identified the source as Senator Margaret Chase Smith's 'Declaration of Conscience' speech during the height of the Second Red Scare.
Establishes the temporal and thematic setting of the document.
2
Identify the primary political figure and movement associated with making sensational, unproven accusations of communism within the U.S. government during this period.
Identified Senator Joseph McCarthy and the practice of McCarthyism as the target of the Senator's criticism.
Directly connects the stimulus's critique of congressional behavior to the historical phenomenon of the Second Red Scare.

Key Concept

McCarthyism and the Second Red Scare
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Topics

Domestic Cold War and the Second Red Scare

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