Walter White: Advocate in Changing Times
This lesson explores the complexity of former NAACP president Walter White’s public views during the Cold War Era and reveals some of the divisions within the civil rights movement as McCarthyism intensified.
Joseph McCarthy photographed for LOOK magazine, 1953.
Source: Library of Congress
Joseph McCarthy was a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who became notorious for his role in the Second Red Scare during the early years of the Cold War. He rose to prominence by making sensational claims that the U.S. government was infiltrated by communist sympathizers. McCarthy’s tactics included making unfounded accusations against individuals in government, entertainment, and other fields, which often resulted in their careers being ruined. This era of intense anti-communist investigations and hearings, known as “McCarthyism,” created a climate of fear and suspicion. McCarthy’s influence waned after televised hearings in 1954, which revealed the lack of credible evidence for his allegations, and he was censured by the Senate in the same year.
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