National First Ladies' Library
Red Hunts, Black Lists, and Communists
Pupils research and examine the unsavory history of the hunt for communists in the United States during the 1950s. They divide up into groups to review the Red Scare of the 1920s as a backdrop to the McCarthy era and write a short essay...
Curated OER
Witch Hunt or Red Menace? Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945-1954
High schoolers investigate the goals and methods of the House Un-American Activities Committee and offer an opinion regarding whether their investigation of Hollywood was justifiable.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Soviet Espionage in America
The war against Communism and Joseph McCarthy’s place in it are the focus of a series of three lessons examining postwar America from 1945-1950. This first lesson asks groups to read an introduction that describes the Verona Project and...
Curated OER
Salem Witch Trials
Students consider the implications of the Salem Witch Trials. In this literature lesson plan, students read Arthur Miller's The Crucible and compare the witch trials to McCarthyism of the 1950's. Students rewrite scenes from the play...
Curated OER
For Whom the Bell Tolls Quiz
CliffsNotes has generated 15 multiple choice questions based on Ernest Hemingway's For Whom the Bell Tolls. Bring your class to the computer lab to check their basic recall of the story's events.
Curated OER
McCarthyism: 60 Years Later
Explore legendary cartoonist Herb Block's bold challenge of McCarthy-era politics through this analysis activity. Two cartoons are included, along with talking points to prompt analysis and background information to help pupils "read...
Curated OER
Ronald Reagan
In this online interactive history learning exercise, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about the achievements of Ronald Reagan. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive learning exercise.
Curated OER
The Cold War: Anti-Communism at Home
Eleventh graders take a closer look at the Red Scare. In this Cold War lesson, 11th graders read the provided literature about anti-communism in the United States and then respond to the provided discussion questions that accompany the...