HOUSE UN-AMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was a committee of the United States House of Representatives that conducted investigations against American citizens accused of carrying out anti-American actions. In particular, the HUAC carried out a number hearings against people accused of having communist connections, during the 1950's.
Joseph McCarthy
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The HUAC was created in 1938 with the mission of investigating citizens who were displaying disloyalty towards the United States and the Unites States government. The HUAC is most often associated with the Second Red Scare of the 1950's and McCarthyism under Joseph McCarthy. McCarthyism was a period in the 1950's, during the Cold War, when a fear of the spread of communism in the United States. During this time thousands of American citizens were accused of and investigated for possible connections to communism. Since the United States was locked in an ideological conflict with the Soviet Union, many Americans associated communism with the enemy and sought to remove any communist elements in their own country.
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Famously, the HUAC carried out a series of hearings against Americans for their suspected ties to communism. The best example of this at the time was the Hollywood Blacklist. The Hollywood Blacklist refers to a time in the 1950's when many who worked in the entertainment industry were blacklisted as being either communist or communist sympathizers. Being blacklisted meant these people were unable to find work in the industry and several were forced to face hearings in front of the HUAC.
The HUAC eventually went into a period of decline, following the fall from grace and death of Joseph McCarthy. Although McCarthy had no actual role in the HUAC many Americans associated his accusations against Americans with the the investigations and hearings of the HUAC. In fact, in 1959, former United States Preident Harry S. Truman referred to the HUAC as " the most un-American thing in the country." Eventually, following a period of decline and a growing bad reputation with the American public the committee was renamed as the Internal Security Committee in 1969. It was only 6 years later in 1975 when the committee was altogether terminated.
The HUAC eventually went into a period of decline, following the fall from grace and death of Joseph McCarthy. Although McCarthy had no actual role in the HUAC many Americans associated his accusations against Americans with the the investigations and hearings of the HUAC. In fact, in 1959, former United States Preident Harry S. Truman referred to the HUAC as " the most un-American thing in the country." Eventually, following a period of decline and a growing bad reputation with the American public the committee was renamed as the Internal Security Committee in 1969. It was only 6 years later in 1975 when the committee was altogether terminated.