--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: During the notorious McCarthy…" description: "\"“During the notorious McCarthy anti-Communist witch-hunt in the United States in the 1950s, popular hysteria could be whipped up with amazing ease. To ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/phil-mason-80842_quote_during-the-notorious-mccarthy-anti-commu_2230058.jpg" --- # During the notorious McCarthy anti-Communist witch-hunt in… ![“During the notorious McCarthy anti-Communist witch-hunt in the United States in the 1950s, popular hysteria could be whipped up with amazing ease. To illustrate the public’s dangerous suspension of common sense, William Evjue, editor of the Capital Times, a newspaper in McCarthy’s home state of…” quote by Phil Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/phil-mason-80842_quote_during-the-notorious-mccarthy-anti-commu_2230058.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/phil-mason-80842_quote_during-the-notorious-mccarthy-anti-commu_2230058.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f0/phil-mason-80842_quote_during-the-notorious-mccarthy-anti-commu_2230058.jpg) > ““During the notorious McCarthy anti-Communist witch-hunt in the United States in the 1950s, popular hysteria could be whipped up with amazing ease. To illustrate the public’s dangerous suspension of common sense, William Evjue, editor of the Capital Times, a newspaper in McCarthy’s home state of Wisconsin, who had launched a campaign to expose McCarthyism, had a reporter stand on a street corner in the state capital, Madison, asking passers-by to sign a petition. It was in fact the American Declaration of Independence. Of 112 people approached to sign it, 111 thought it subversive and refused.”” [Phil Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mason/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. McCarthy-era hysteria showed how easily public opinion can be manipulated, leading rational people to reject even foundational documents. **In simple terms:** People can be swayed to reject basic truths under fear. Key Takeaway Beware of fear‑driven groupthink. Themes political manipulation mass hysteria critical thinking history Mood cautious thoughtful Type historical educational When to use this quote - public speeches - media analysis - educational curricula - community discussions Key Concepts propaganda social conformity civic responsibility Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate fear is being used to control opinion? - How can societies protect rational discourse? A Different Perspective Counterpoint: Not all fear is irrational; some vigilance is necessary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expose Mccarthyism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expose-mccarthyism-5013336/) [Mccarthy Anti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mccarthy-anti-5013337/) [Mccarthyism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mccarthyism/) [Mccarthyism Reporter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mccarthyism-reporter-5013334/) [Newspaper Mccarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/newspaper-mccarthy-5013335/) ## Related quotes > [“The serious Sylvia was agonizing over the execution of the Rosenbergs and McCarthyism; others were delighting to dream over trousseau lingerie at Vanity Fair's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-winder/the-serious-sylvia-was-agonizing-over-the-execution-of-the-rosenbergs/) [Elizabeth Winder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-winder/) > [McCarthyism is Americanism with its sleeves rolled,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mccarthyism-is-americanism-with-its-sleeves-rolled/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [America has entered one of its periods of historical madness, but this is the worst I can remember: worse than McCarthyism, worse than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/america-has-entered-one-of-its-periods-of-historical-madness-but-this/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [My bohemianism consisted of not wanting to get involved with the stupid stuff that I thought people wanted you to get involved with... namely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/my-bohemianism-consisted-of-not-wanting-to-get-involved-with-the/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [I guess I was the most unbohemian of all bohemians. My bohemianism consisted of not wanting to get involved with the stupid stuff that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/i-guess-i-was-the-most-unbohemian-of-all-bohemians-my-bohemianism/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [“Of the things I had not known when I started out, I think the most important was the degree to which the legacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/of-the-things-i-had-not-known-when-i-started-out-i-think-the-most/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [“What was new to our ears these days, and thrilling to hear, was the steadiness and justice of those who spoke, the abscence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellhorn/what-was-new-to-our-ears-these-days-and-thrilling-to-hear-was-the/) [Martha Gellhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellhorn/) > [“There are significant analogues between the American fear of Communism during the McCarthy era and the American fear of Islam at the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-daniel/there-are-significant-analogues-between-the-american-fear-of/) [Ben Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-daniel/) > [In the early 50s in the US, there was what was called McCarthyism and the only reason it succeeded was that there was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-the-early-50s-in-the-us-there-was-what-was-called-mccarthyism-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [As a human being with notoriety and a big mouth, I've felt most threatened during the first Bush Administration. Whenever there's a Bush in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/as-a-human-being-with-notoriety-and-a-big-mouth-i-ve-felt-most/) [Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/) > [ “Whenever the communists are under fire, it \[the term "red-baiter"\] has served to divert attention from the subject matter to futile discussion of personal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lyons/whenever-the-communists-are-under-fire-it-the-term-red-baiter-has/) [Eugene Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lyons/) > [During McCarthyism, teachers feared for their jobs if they belonged to a left-wing group. Today teachers fear for their jobs if they hug a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/during-mccarthyism-teachers-feared-for-their-jobs-if-they-belonged-to/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [“American foreign policy was a mirror image of Russian foreign policy: whatever the Russians did, we did in reverse. American domestic policies were conducted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-macleish/american-foreign-policy-was-a-mirror-image-of-russian-foreign-policy/) [Archibald MacLeish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-macleish/) > [Our tolerance of the intolerable found a low threshold as early as the late 1950s with the grotesque excesses of McCarthyism, which destroyed so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/our-tolerance-of-the-intolerable-found-a-low-threshold-as-early-as/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [“He was an American character, one typical of men of his generation, men who embraced the notion of freedom and individualism and the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/he-was-an-american-character-one-typical-of-men-of-his-generation-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More by Phil Mason > [“West Country novelist Thomas Hardy almost did not survive his birth in 1840 because everyone thought he was stillborn. He did not appear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mason/west-country-novelist-thomas-hardy-almost-did-not-survive-his-birth/) [Phil Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mason/) > [“Oscar Wilde’s observation of the truth being rarely pure and never simple.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-mason/oscar-wilde-s-observation-of-the-truth-being-rarely-pure-and-never/) [Phil Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mason/) [Explore all 3 Phil Mason quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-mason/) ## More Mccarthyism quotes > [“The serious Sylvia was agonizing over the execution of the Rosenbergs and McCarthyism; others were delighting to dream over trousseau lingerie at Vanity Fair's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-winder/the-serious-sylvia-was-agonizing-over-the-execution-of-the-rosenbergs/) [Elizabeth Winder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-winder/) > [Our tolerance of the intolerable found a low threshold as early as the late 1950s with the grotesque excesses of McCarthyism, which destroyed so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/our-tolerance-of-the-intolerable-found-a-low-threshold-as-early-as/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [“American foreign policy was a mirror image of Russian foreign policy: whatever the Russians did, we did in reverse. 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Today teachers fear for their jobs if they hug a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-tavris/during-mccarthyism-teachers-feared-for-their-jobs-if-they-belonged-to/) [Carol Tavris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-tavris/) > [ “Whenever the communists are under fire, it \[the term "red-baiter"\] has served to divert attention from the subject matter to futile discussion of personal… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-lyons/whenever-the-communists-are-under-fire-it-the-term-red-baiter-has/) [Eugene Lyons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-lyons/) > [As a human being with notoriety and a big mouth, I've felt most threatened during the first Bush Administration. Whenever there's a Bush in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jello-biafra/as-a-human-being-with-notoriety-and-a-big-mouth-i-ve-felt-most/) [Jello Biafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jello-biafra/) > [In the early 50s in the US, there was what was called McCarthyism and the only reason it succeeded was that there was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-the-early-50s-in-the-us-there-was-what-was-called-mccarthyism-and/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [“There are significant analogues between the American fear of Communism during the McCarthy era and the American fear of Islam at the beginning of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-daniel/there-are-significant-analogues-between-the-american-fear-of/) [Ben Daniel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-daniel/) > [“What was new to our ears these days, and thrilling to hear, was the steadiness and justice of those who spoke, the abscence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-gellhorn/what-was-new-to-our-ears-these-days-and-thrilling-to-hear-was-the/) [Martha Gellhorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-gellhorn/) > [“Of the things I had not known when I started out, I think the most important was the degree to which the legacy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-halberstam/of-the-things-i-had-not-known-when-i-started-out-i-think-the-most/) [David Halberstam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-halberstam/) > [I guess I was the most unbohemian of all bohemians. My bohemianism consisted of not wanting to get involved with the stupid stuff that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/i-guess-i-was-the-most-unbohemian-of-all-bohemians-my-bohemianism/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [My bohemianism consisted of not wanting to get involved with the stupid stuff that I thought people wanted you to get involved with... namely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiri-baraka/my-bohemianism-consisted-of-not-wanting-to-get-involved-with-the/) [Amiri Baraka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiri-baraka/) > [America has entered one of its periods of historical madness, but this is the worst I can remember: worse than McCarthyism, worse than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/america-has-entered-one-of-its-periods-of-historical-madness-but-this/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [McCarthyism is Americanism with its sleeves rolled,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mccarthyism-is-americanism-with-its-sleeves-rolled/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“He was an American character, one typical of men of his generation, men who embraced the notion of freedom and individualism and the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/he-was-an-american-character-one-typical-of-men-of-his-generation-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Browse all 37 Mccarthyism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mccarthyism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“During the notorious McCarthy anti-Communist witch-hunt in the United States in the 1950s, popular hysteria could be whipped up with amazing ease. 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