April 24, 2018 U.S. History Agenda: NOTES #56: How did the Cold War affect Americans at home? NOTES #57: What important events occurred during the presidency of Dwight D. Eisenhower?

How did the Cold War affect Americans at home? Notes #56

During the Cold War, many Americans believed that Communists (called Reds) were trying to destroy the U.S. from within.

House Un-American Activities Committee FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover By the 1950s, the lives of many Americans were investigated by the U.S. government because it feared that communist spies were in the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover

Soviet atomic bomb testing (1949) For example: in 1953, scientists Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were convicted and executed by the U.S. government for allegedly giving atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. Soviet atomic bomb testing (1949)

Ivy Mike; first Hydrogen bomb tested (November 1, 1952)

During the 1950s, U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy led governmental attempts to identify Communists in the U.S.

McCarthy made reckless accusations about people (being Communists), without using evidence to support his claims (called McCarthyism).

McCarthy’s actions ruined the reputations of many Americans that were falsely accused of disloyalty and he was eventually denounced by the U.S. Senate in 1954.