Cold War at Home

Following WWII, Americans feared a possible Communist menace inside the Unites States Truman ordered the establishment of the Loyalty Review Board to investigate individual “un-American” activities. House Un-American Activities Committee

Congress decided to conduct its own loyalty checks through its special House Un-American Activities Committee The committee questioned actors, directors, writers, and others about their possible Communist sympathies. Those identified as present or former members of the Communist Party were “blacklisted” and lost their jobs

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In 1950, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were charged with selling national secrets to the Soviet Union about making the atomic bomb. The Rosenbergs were found guilty and executed for spying The Rosenberg Trial

In 1997 the NSA released the Venona Papers. These papers revealed the identities of several Americans who had spied for the Soviet Union, including Julius Rosenberg

In 1950 Joseph McCarthy shocked Americans by claiming he knew the names of hundreds of Communist who had infiltrated the US State Departments His allegations created fears of a Communist conspiracy. The McCarthy Hearings

McCarthy was never able to provide real proof and it frightened many Americans. The term “McCarthyism” has become identified with making harsh accusations without evidence.

Already upset by the first Soviet atomic bomb test in 1949, Americans were shocked when the Soviet Union again successfully tested the hydrogen bomb in 1953 Americans prepared for a surprise attack. Schools set aside special areas as bomb shelters Facing the Bomb

They had duck and cover drills This duck and cover made people feel safe but wouldn’t protect them from the deadly nuclear radiation. To protect themselves, some families built fallout shelters and stocked them with canned food

In the 1950s millions of veterans returned home from WWII and the benefited from special benefits including low mortgage rates and educational grants. Eisenhower also signed the Interstate Highway Act which created a system of federal highways Domestic Policy Under Eisenhower

Domestic Developments –Housing Boom—Home ownership increased by 50% and the movement of middle-income families to the suburbs –Economic Prosperity—The demand for consumer goods reached an all-time high. Millions of autos and TVs were sold. America dominated world trade

The post-war period saw many advances in medicine. The success of antibiotics in treating infections gave new hopes for cures. Jonas Salk developed the first vaccine for polio which paralyzed thousands of American children each year. Advances in Medicine