The First and Second Red Scares

Vocabulary flashcards covering the key terms and concepts related to the Red Scares in American history, based on lecture notes.

Communism

Belief in redistributing wealth, destroying social classes, and eliminating private property often associated with labor movements and immigration concerns during the First Red Scare.

American Nationalism

The idea that non-American ideologies and immigrants were inferior and a threat to American values and safety, prevalent during both Red Scares.

Bolsheviks

Radicals who took control of Russia and prompted fears of communist revolution in the United States.

Sedition and Espionage Acts

Laws enacted during WWI that made it a federal crime to speak out against the government or the war effort.

Propaganda of the deed

Using violence to achieve political goals, associated with Luigi Galleani and his followers.

Palmer Raids

A series of highly publicized raids conducted by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer in 1919 and 1920 to arrest and deport suspected radicals.

Executive Order 9835

An Executive Order that authorized the FBI to investigate federal employees for communist sympathies or associations.

H.U.A.C. (House Un-American Activities Committee)

A committee of the U.S. House of Representatives that investigated allegations of communist activity in the United States during the Cold War.

Blacklisting

Denying employment or other benefits to individuals suspected of communist sympathies.

Joseph McCarthy

Republican Senator from Wisconsin who made accusations of communism within the government and military during the Second Red Scare.

McCarthy Hearings

A series of televised hearings in which Senator Joseph McCarthy accused various individuals of being communists.

Edward R. Murrow

Broadcast journalist who criticized McCarthy's tactics and methods, helping to expose his disregard for civil liberties.

Operation Paper Clip

U.S. mission to bring Nazi scientists to the US after World War II.

Sputnik I

First man-made satellite launched into space by the Soviet Union, sparking fears of Soviet technological superiority.

Landing on the Moon - Apollo 11

U.S. Apollo mission that first landed humans on the moon.