Ordeal by Cheque
Climax by Adriana W.
Josh slammed the car door as he slid into the driver’s seat, and jammed the key into the ignition. He ignored the worn down little knob for the radio and backed out. He peeked over his shoulder, checking for pedestrians while simultaneously taking a final glance at the old little building. Jake’s Pawn Shop was small, and painted a vivid green - that ended up having the opposite effect of its intended purpose - making the building seem anything but inviting. Josh turned back around and smoothly pulled onto the maine road.
“Sorry about your father,” Jake had grumbled. A whole year later and people were still reminding him. Not that he didn’t remind himself. Not that his mom didn’t remind him. Not that that old guitar hadn’t reminded him constantly.
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That old guitar that he was driving away from, vaguely relieved but more stressed than he had been in days. The other day he pulled that dusty thing out of his storage closet and had instinctively began to retune it. His fingers maneuvered over the pegs and gently plucked the strings to test their acoustics. He hadn’t done it in over a year, and he had barely strummed the guitar once or twice before tossing it onto the couch and walking into the kitchen to call Dave and tell him he couldn’t make it for the gig. It felt like a surrender. In a way it was.
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Next afternoon, Josh sat on his cramped deck, having just put a burger on the grill, reclining in a lawn chair. Since his original plans of going to Dave’s were a bust this was the next best plan. The old red Nordmende radio blared music from his favorite rock station while Josh sat in the sweltering summer air. Josh’s neighbor started up his lawn mower and he reached to turn up the radio as the song came to a close. He stopped cold the second he heard the next song begin.
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He would recognize the intro to that song anywhere. “More Than A Feeling” by Boston is not a song he could ever forget. His father used to play this song all the time. Josh Sr. had taught Josh this song himself once he had gotten advanced enough in his guitar lessons, around the age of thirteen. He hadn’t heard this song in months, let alone played it.
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Hearing the song he had memorized and loved growing up, not only shocked, but comforted Josh. He sat still, and continued listening to the rest of the song. He sunk into the melody and envisioned his fingers flawlessly flying across the fretboard. The first thing to yank him back to reality was the sound of his burger sizzling and and the smoke from the grill. He hopped up, and crossed the already small deck in three strides.
The burger was a charred rock at this point. Josh quickly grabbed it and put it on the paper plate waiting on the side burner. He turned off the grill before grabbing his radio and heading inside. Why had he been sitting outside in the heat anyway?
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He snatched up his phone and quickly dialed the Jake’s Pawn Shop number. There was no wait. A pre recorded version of gruff old Jake came on immediately. “This is a business holiday. Our shop is not open. Please call back or stop in on the next business day,” the recording finished. Josh deposited his phone on the counter and sighed. Of course the shop was closed on the Fourth of July. It was closed on all holidays. All he could do was wait until tomorrow.
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The next morning Josh was up at the crack of dawn. If he wanted to stop by the pawn shop before work he would have to hussle. He hastily got ready and was out the door within a half hour. He knew that Jake opened up early because of all the summers that he had worked there before going off to college. Despite the look of the place it was a good paying job and Jake was an alright guy if you got to know him.
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Josh peels into the currently empty parking lot and hops out of his car. He can see a dim glow coming from the shop’s windows, and picks up the pace as he approaches the building. The chances of somebody buying his guitar in the time span of yesterday morning to the afternoon is slim, but the possibility is stressful nonetheless. Josh enters the shop and a little bell jingles weakly, announcing his presence.
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“Back already?” Jake asks from behind the counter.
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“Um, yah do you still have my . . . um guitar?” Josh asks awkwardly.
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“Nope, the second you brought it in I had about twenty bids. It was insane!” Jake chuckles. Josh does his best to smile at the feeble joke.
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“So you you still have it?” he asks again. Jake smiles and nods before ducking into the back room. He returns a moment later, Josh’s guitar in tow. Josh smiles inwardly, but avoids grinning like the goofy child reawakening inside of him.
“Thank you. How much?”
“Oh, the same I payed for it. What was it? Six-fifty or somthin’?”
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“Yah, yah,” Josh responds, yanking his wallet out,”You sure Jake?”
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“Yep,” Jake smiles, excepting the cash Josh hands him.
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“Thanks again, Jake. See ya soon” Josh says as he hurries towards the door.
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“Oh, let’s hope not. That’ll mean you’ve changed your mind again,” Jake jokes as Josh waves and steps out the door. As Josh approaches his car he looks down at his old friend. He might not be ready to play right away, but that didn’t mean he should never play again. It felt like an eternity since he dropped it off yesterday, but the thought of somebody else playing on it just didn’t feel right. Or at least, not as wrong as him not playing it ever again.
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Buds
Short Story by Katie K
“Here they come again,” Brianne Wilson huffed under her breath. She hunched her back to the right side of the hallway. Her elbows kept banging into the lockers as Ms.Russo’s special education class came chattering down the hall. Brianne sped up her walking pace. She dropped her eyes down to her sweatshirt pocket where she slipped her phone out and turned up the volume two notches. Brianne swiftly grasped her earbud that was threaded under her sweatshirt and placed it from her hood to her ear. Why the hell can’t they be quiet when they take their “field trips” down the hall. Brianne took in a prolonged breath, letting out only a small bit of air. She shut her eyes as she blinked.
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“Louise, please stay in the line. She needs to get to her class.” Brianne twisted her head slowly peeking at the teacher, who took a glimpse of Brianne then focused her attention back to the class.
Brianne came to a halt as her math teacher, Ms.Frank, spoke to her, “Ms.Wilson, it’s so nice for you to join us. Drop off your books and meet us at the assembly.”
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“Ok.” Brianne murmured, shoving through her math class crowded at the door. She threw her binder, notebook, and pen onto her usual desk in the back. She took a deep breath and trudged to the gym for another cringy assembly.
Brianne flopped down to sit criss-cross applesauce on the freezing, dirty gym floor. She was seated beside a group of kids she would label, the nerds. I want nothing to do with this school or a freaking color run.She dropped her head into the palm of her right hand. She tried to ignore the short, animated man explaining how fun this run would be. Brianne’s left knee bounced to the beat of rock music still blaring in her ear.
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“Dance, dance...” a student cheered from behind her. Brianne flipped her dark hair glaring at the special education class seated on the bleachers.
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“Louise, you need to quiet down and pay attention.” Brianne faintly heard Ms.Russo whisper. Knew it was them.Brianne rolled her eyes like she wanted to see her forehead.
Once the assembly had finally come to a close, Brianne carried herself back to her math class. She dropped herself into her seat. Her eyes flicked from the board to the doodles on her paper. Brianne made sure to act as if she was paying attention to Ms. Frank.
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“ Brianne Wilson, this is the second time. Give me those earbuds and phone immediately. Your guardian can pick them up at the end of the day.” Ms.Frank demanded over the class. Brianne ripped her earbud out of her ear. She reached up her sweatshirt to tug the cord that her phone was attached to. Her rock music continued to blare as she threw her phone and earbuds into her teacher's palms.
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After what seemed to be two hours, but was really 15 minutes school had finished. The instant the bell rang Brianne ran to her locker and pulled out her backpack. She rushed outside like she was waiting for a package to arrive. Come on grandma, can you get here any sooner. I need my music. Brianne ripped her backpack off her back and tossed it on the ground beside her. She slid her back down the brick wall, dropping her bum on the rough concrete. She pulled her feet in towards her thighs and hugged her knees into her chest. Brianne dropped her head onto her knee caps. She closed her eyes taking in a long breath. She held each breath for precisely four seconds then released it.
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“Listen?” Brianne felt a gentle tap on her left shoulder. Under her elbow, she could see a small purple earbud held carefully in someone’s hand. She lifted up her head bumping it against the wall behind her. After a moment she turned her head to glance at whoever was seated beside her. Her eyes opened a slight bit bigger. She has a beaming smile on the inside but wouldn’t show it. Brianne let her legs drop out in front of her and her elbows rest beside her.
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“Sure I guess,” Brianne answered lifting the earbud out of Louise’s hand to put in her ear. Together, Louise and Brianne sat bouncing their knees in harmony to the blaring rock music in their ears.
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Good Luck
By Derek
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I quickly swung open my front door, pulling my cumbersome books in with me. I dragged my backpack across the hardwood floor until I reached the kitchen table. As I sat down, I slipped my phone out of my pocket. While unlocking my phone I noticed the date and thought to myself, really like I need to be reminded of the date. My mind began to race. What will people say. Am I going to make the team. Will the coach even notice me. The hour hand just reached four o’clock, I only had one hour to decide.
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Scrolling through my text messages and social media, I began to see a pattern. Every other post and message was about basketball tryouts tonight. I slowly swiped my thumb down the screen of my iphone five until I came to a text from my friend, Kevin that read, Are you going tonight? I just sat there pondering about what to respond.
I think so but I’m still nervous about it. What about you?
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Wow I’m surprised, last time I saw you play basketball you couldn’t even dribble and to think that you’re going to do the drills that we do is insane. Good luck. I stuffed my phone back into my pocket. Ignoring my leg vibrating every few seconds is a struggle. I kicked my shoes off trying to get relaxed but I couldn’t. I had to take my phone out of my pocket. I tossed it to the other side of the kitchen table, not even worrying about it falling off the edge. Closing my eyes and holding my ears, I tried to zone out the buzz. It was no match.
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Without thinking twice, I hopped out of my chair and sprinted up stairs as fast as my little legs could take me, hitting my elbow on the edge of the railing on the way up, which was nothing new. When I reached my station, I pushed open the creaky wooden door, taking a step in. Leaving the door ajar behind me, I walked across the room avoiding the dirty clothes spread out across the floor. Stuffing my face into my pillow, then rolling over, taking in a deep breath and exhaling slowly. What was I thinking? It’s not like I’m going to make it anyway. What’s the point in even showing up. I can’t make up my mind, a whole 35 minutes have past and I still don’t even know if I’m going.
I began scanning my room looking for something to do, examining every little thing I had. From the dirty clothes on my floor to the posters on my wall. I noticed the tiny marker smudge on my signed Kobe Bryant jersey, and even the way that Michael Jordan was holding the ball on the poster. KNOCK KNOCK I heard from downstairs.
“I’m home,” my mom shouted. I can tell, I thought.
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“Wait, if I go to basketball tryouts, who will drive me?” I questioned. In my head I thought, please be dad, please be dad.
“Oh god I forgot about that but it would probably be me.” Here I thought my day couldn’t get worse. If I go, my mom will just embarrass me. While searching for something that will cure my boredom, I found a black box with a metallic silver swoosh and the words, “Just Do It,” illustrated across it. I sat there transfixed on the box until a slight smirk beamed across my face. I slid open the box, and then took out the red and white shoes, sliding my feet into them. I ran back downstairs, grabbed my phone and texted Kevin back, Good Luck.
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The Wrong Direction by Skylar
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I furiously swiped up on my phone’s screen and begged it to update faster. I knew that I needed to leave, but my eyes were so stuck to my screen that I couldn’t move. Ugh.I groaned at PowerSchool’s refusal to show me my test grade. I felt irritated as I pushed my math icon without waiting another second. There was my grade. It was a perfect score. Released from the hold that had felt so similar to the gravity keeping me on the ground, I danced around my room and smiled as if there was an orange peel pushing it so wide. Yay, I thought dopily.
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It felt too soon for my friends to be texting me nonstop, but they did anyway. This took me out of my zone of triumph, because I knew that I had to run to the car without even looking at the messages. I dodged through the massive mess in my room as my feet carried me through my house. Finally reaching my driveway, I dove into the front seat of my father’s car. The engine revved and squealed before I even had the chance to put on my seatbelt. Before I knew it, we were at the game.
I saw my friends breathe a sigh of relief in unison upon my arrival. Was I really that late? Ivy cautiously removed herself from substituting in my position, eyes still on the action of the game as I entered.
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“You showed up,” Ivy commented while laughing at her own joke. I knew that she didn’t really mean it, so I chuckled along with her. I wasn’t sure how long it was appropriate to keep laughing because it depended on how funny she thought the joke was. I kept my head hanging low as I laughed softly, hoping she wouldn’t notice how lame my response was to her joke. But by the time I had looked up, she disappeared.
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I couldn’t help but think about what Ivy had said. Did she hope that I wouldn’t come at all? I told myself that it was just a joke, but it didn’t help. I decided it would help to focus myself on the game when I realized that I had been zoning out for a long time.
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I turned towards the action and quickly noticed the ball flying at me. My teammates were trailing behind the ball like puppies desperate for attention. I glanced to the side to see both Everly and Ivy mouthing words of encouragement my way. Only then did I sprint towards the ball, zeroing in on my target. I focused on the image of how proud my friends would be of me to pull myself through the fast motion of seizing the ball from the sky. This was the very moment that I realized there were 30 seconds left in the game. 29. 28. I had to shoot the ball. I kicked as hard as I could, but as I expectantly looked towards the goal, I realized that the ball was hurling itself in the wrong direction. I felt like the countdown in my head was much more accurate than the one on the clock, seconds ticking by so slowly that all I could do was force myself to stare at the ground. Without looking, I knew that the eyes of the two people that I called my best friends were stuck on my hunched figure like the craziest of sticky glue. The fact that we had lost seemed so small and unimportant compared to the feeling of betraying the most amazing people in the world.
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That very moment consumed my thoughts. How could I have been so stupid?What was wrong with me?These thoughts grew louder when even though I had definitely ruined the game for her, Everly approached me just like she always did. I could only assume that her reason for doing so was pity. She was my best friend, after all.
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I ignored her chatter, knowing it was nothing more than an attempt to make me feel better. Soon enough the tension around the field rose, and so did the dirty looks directed at me. My eyes snapped up to Everly’s concerned face as her confused questions grew louder. My cheeks flushed. What don’t I do wrong?Unable to take it anymore, my feet yanked me to the bathroom. What I couldn’t say in words were expressed through heaving sobs. My head pounded as I struggled to gulp even the smallest amounts of air.
Attempting to collect myself, the loud silence of my thoughts quickly dispersed when I heard the soft questioning of the number seventy-two from a nearby stall.
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Crouching down, I found the unmistakable shoes of none other than Ivy Redwood in the stall to my right. I hoped she didn’t know who was in the stall next to her, but my hope vanished as words pierced through my endless thoughts.
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“I wish you knew that soccer didn’t matter.”
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My head snapped back up. “What?”
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“I mean, it’s not going to get you into Yale or anything. People like you will get into Yale, maybe even Harvard.”
I didn’t know how to respond. But in the back of my mind, I knew how she felt. My shoulders straightened, and any sense of crying was gone.
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“It’s okay, Ivy. You’ll be okay.”
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Journal Entry
by Brianna C.
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I entered the fallout shelter, along with my peers. As we wander inside, I notice everything at once. Alarming, I see emergency phones surrounding us, as if this we’re to be a real situation. I feel gravitated to touch it, but I have a gut feeling that I really should just let it be. Piles of gas masks are here, and that just makes me wonder if they truly work. I would definitely not be one of the willing people to see if it kept all safe, but it’s just a thought that had went in one ear and out the next. Then I approach the chart that shows how we’d plan on rebuilding our area after the nuclear weapon had pounced down on us. I felt as if I should just bolt out. Glancing at the chart, a shock gets sent throughout my body. I can’t imagine what and how I could survive. I’d probably drop dead right on the spot. As we walk around, I see cabinets. I reacted immediately and ran right over to the cabinets to get a better look at them. As I started investigating it, the survival guide has caught my eye, and I did not hesitate to pick it up. It interests me more than scares me. What a unique way to survive, especially when you could be uncertain about your future. I’ve learned much more new things, and crucial information that will help in further research.
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Journal Entry
by Skylar
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DATE: March 17, 1967
Today was probably one of the most hectic days of my life. Usually days in the old, worn school “Hartford High opened in 1963.” are routine. Get to school, go to classes, and go home.
Today, on the other hand, was not.
It all began in first period. An alarm woke everyone (besides me) up from the “boring” (I don't think it is) history lesson that elderly Ms. Brown was teaching. The alarm was one not many students had heard before. We looked around anxiously at each other. What was going on?
Ms. Brown looked as if she was about to pass out. She was breathing heavily and leaning on her desk.
Then she yelled at us through the commotion to follow other classes to the basements. I, leading the group, zipped through the crowds before thinking, wait. What fallout shelter? Where was it?
I stood there puzzled. Everyone left me behind racing down the halls. Then my french teacher grabbed me. It felt like she was going to rip my arm off as we ran down the stairs that I didn’t know existed. The room seemed even older than the rest of the school, it was covered in dust. “... replaced by efforts such as crisis relocation projects to move residents out of targeted cities.” Everyone was silent.
Then one whisper, barely louder than snow falling rose above the crowd.
“Bomb threat.”
I didn't know what to do. No one did. My nerves were at the point "It must have been . . . serious for them to take these precautions." that I was sure the room could hear my heart pounding out of my chest.
I frantically looked around for clues. But all I saw was sleeping bags, water, and medicine. “Piled high in storage boxes in one bathroom are dozens of unused green sleeping bags and dusty cartons of medicine and water water purification tablets, dated December 1962.” What were these for? What was happening? My heart hurt from pounding so hard, and so often. My brain hurt from imagining possibilities.
What if there was an actual bomb-- no, NUCLEAR bomb about to get us? What would we do? What if I never got to say goodbye to my family and friends? What would happen if this was the end? I grasped ever so lightly in my slippery fingers and sweating palms a pamphlet sort of thing where I could read about what to do. “But it's cabinets are filled with nuclear-fallout survival guides.” .Many other students followed. Even three teachers. No one knew what we would do. I was not alone.
There were cafeterias. Not like the ones in which we eat lunch in normally, especially based on where we are. It was almost as if this place was made for someone to live in. “For example, its cafeteria was placed in the basement so it could be used by people occupying the shelter.”
As my eyes continuously hungered for more information to know, how I could possibly survive a bomb-- sorry, NUCLEAR bomb, there was an announcement:
“Attention. That was only a drill.
I sighed in relief.
“We need to come to this fallout shelter when, as I’m sure you're aware, we get threats through this war we are facing. Be prepared, everyone. Stay safe.”
No one moved. Still silence.
And then even I, a student so willing to learn, went home. My mind blank. I couldn't think, and paid no attention to anything but one thought in my head: Would I survive this? “... the attempt of a generation that wanted to protect itself."
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JOURNAL ENTRY Joseph
I’ve never really thought much about the possibility of what would happen to me if a nuke was dropped on my town and I would be trapped down in an underground shelter; that is if I ever made it to one, but now I’m a decent bit shaken by what happened during school today. It even scared me so much that I barely remember what happened when I was down in the shelter, but I know when it happened.
It was sometime around 11:00, just before science class had ended, when the principal had called out on the speaker for a drill. I expected it to be a normal drill, but instead, we were lead to a door that I have only seen a few times, due to it not being on the path I usually take to my classes. As we descend the stairs, I remember seeing a large room where there were these scary looking masks, red-colored phones, and these books that I couldn’t see the name of. At that moment I knew that this wasn’t any normal drill, but we were down in an underground shelter. Even though I knew that this was only a drill, I couldn’t help but let the adrenaline run through me like electricity. I’ve never been one to pay much attention to the news, but I’ve heard about something involving war and nukes, which most likely has to do with this drill that we had today.
The rest of my classes after that didn’t even feel real because I kept wondering how much different everything could’ve been if it had been the real deal. I would probably still be down there, with everyone at my school, wondering what would happen to all of our surroundings once they have all been blown to high heaven.
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Note Taking by Skylar
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McCarthyism: Witch Hunting and Blacklisting in 1950s America
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Significant Facts and Events:
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This time period was called the “Red Scare.” Everyone was afraid of the spread of communism along with being convicted of being a communist.
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People called it the “Red Scare” because the USSR scared the people of the United States. The ‘Red’ part comes from their flag. The USSR became powerful after WWII and were spreading communism.
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This began in the 1950s.
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The “Red Scare” along with the U.S. accusing people of being communists began in the 1950s.
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Government workers were one of the positions most often accused of communism.
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Government workers were accused of being communists. They were brought before lawmakers and questioned.
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Communist countries were where governemnt owned and controlled most things.
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This was opposed by the U.S. The U.S. rather have business and government separate, or capitalism.
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The USSR and the U.S. had a “tense relationship.”
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Partly because of communism, America was afraid of the Soviet Union.
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In 1949 the USSR developed an atomic bomb.
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The States were no longer the only country with the power of an atomic bomb. It worried the States that the USSR had one also, it could destroy the country.
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China became a communist country.
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China was the most populated country in the world. More and more countries were becoming communist countries. They were mostly influenced by the USSR. This is why the U.S. was afraid. Communism was spreading.
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High-ranking government official was proved a communist.
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Alger Hiss was a high-ranking official in the government. This showed the people that no one could be trusted.
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McCarthy claimed he could “save America” from communism.
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McCarthy was a senator. With his politics he claimed to be able to “save America” from communists. He used everyone’s fear to his advantage when running, and succeeded.
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McCarthy made many false accusations.
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McCarthy said in a speech that he knew of 205 communists. He proved nothing. Next he attacked people that used to be Secretary of State. The level of person he was accusing got higher as he went along, while still proving nothing with little to no evidence.
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McCarthy accused the army.
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In 1954, (the fourth year of McCarthy’s accusations) McCarthy accused people of the government on television of being communist. This was his “big mistake” because it got so ridiculous that someone said “Have you no sense of decency left?”
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Actors and “Hollywood workers” were another position mainly accused of communism.
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The U.S. Congress made a committee, which looked within the Hollywood industry to find communists. These communists were said to do “Un-American Activities”. People who gave names were favored, but those who did not come to questionings to help discover were either “blacklisted” or labeled disobedient.
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Even people that thought of it long ago were questioned.
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Communism used to be popular. Anyone who attended rallies, no matter how long ago was said to be a communist.
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Many accused were not rightfully accused.
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The effects of McCarthyism lasted decades. Books like “Robin Hood” were pulled from shelves, firing employees who did nothing wrong, and politicians who wanted to trade with China were all things that people were labeled communists for.
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Note Taking by Luke
McCarthyism:Witch Hunting and Blacklisting in 1950s America
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The “Red Scare” was a point in time where Americans were scared of Communist spies and the threats of nuclear bombs being dropped on them. If anyone seemed to be remotely related to communism they were questioned and possibly thrown in jail if found guilty.
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Joseph McCarthy along with his questioning scheme called, “McCarthyism” was a “Witch Hunt “like program where people were questioned continuously about their loyalty to America. If convicted of communist actions in America, people were thrown in jail.
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The Soviet Union was a communist country. America was against communism because of how they governed their country.Communist countries are usually ruled by a dictator. People living in a communist country such as the Soviet Union are controlled by their government. The government owns most of the property, businesses, and land. People who are affluent must share their money with the poor so that everyone gets a fair portion. This is a problem because when you have two different class jobs and they both earn the same each day, it will cause the economy to crash due to lack of competition.
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America is a Capitalist state, meaning that all businesses are competing for money against similar companies. The catch is that no business could entirely run the whole market, everyone is given the opportunity to have a part. Unlike Communist countries, Capitalism allows people with various ranking jobs to earn a different amount of money. In a Captilast country, more money earned results in a healthy, strong economy.
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America was afraid that the Soviet Union had been testing new and more powerful nuclear bombs.They had also been sending a lot of threats to America. China ,the country with the largest population became communist that same year. America feared that communism was spreading.
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To gain “popularity” McCarthy had two hundred and five people he thought were “communists.” His proof lacked strong evidence to convict these people. McCarthy also said that these alleged communists were working for the United States Department of State. Congress investigated these people and they were found to be innocent. McCarthy went on to press charges on two Secretaries of State and even Army Generals. There were excessive polls stating that the general population believed that McCarthy was wrong. There were also lawmakers that did their fair share of shaming McCarthy. This bad press led to the inevitable and untimely death of McCarthy.
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In Hollywood, California movie crew members lost their jobs if they didn’t give the names of individuals that were suspected of being communists. If they did many were able to go back to work. Some however, were blacklisted and lied too and lost their jobs.
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Robin Hood was banned from the US because it showed a lot about communism and emphasized stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Every politician who would deal with China were labeled communists because at the time China was a major Communist State. Even though there were a good amount of communist spies in the US, most people suspected of communism turned out to be innocent.
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Note Taking by Adriana
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¨McCarthyism: Witch HUnting and Blacklisting in 1950s America¨
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In the 1950s nobody was not considered a possible communist and ¨could be questioned and thrown in jail¨.
So many people were scared and living in fear of communism that it was a sort of weak point for most Americans, which allowed those who craved power to step in and take drastic measures to try and solve the problem. Most of these people were innocent, but that didn't stop powerful government officials like McCarthy from unfairly convicting them.
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Senator Joseph McCarthy was highly thought of by many Americans because of his promise to discover communist spies within the countries government and entertainment industry.
When people are scared and desperate they can be very easy to take a vantage of. They were looking for somebody who could help them and ¨promise¨ them help, so McCarthy seemed like the perfect candidate.
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The citizens of communist countries have fewer freedoms and the government runs a lot of things in ¨the name of the people¨, but in many cases these communist countries end up being more of a dictatorship.
Americans were afraid of the communism and as a result of this, were very influenceable, but a handful of government officials were given a lot of power, too much power and controlled a wide variety of things which makes me notice how similar some of the happenings in the anti-communism america really were.
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In 1949 the Soviets tested a fatal atomic bomb, and many were scared of the possibility that the Soviets would use this atomic bomb to attack the United States.
When the U.S. used the first atomic bomb to end World War 2 they also introduced an incredibly dangerous weapon to not only their allies, but their future enemies as well. It seems logical that after discovering the atomic bomb the Soviets may want to use it to take out an even bigger threat.
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China became a communist country the same year that the Soviets atomic bomb was tested.
China was the most populated country so they were viewed as important and potentially powerful. Of course when China turned Communist it most likely intimidated the U.S.
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¨In the late 1940s, Alger Hiss, a high ranking government official, was convicted of spying¨ and McCarthy used the fear created by this discovery to ¨rise to power¨
The American people were so terrified of communism that being shown there was a communist among the people that they relied on most must have been incredibly serious and important for them.
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On February 9, 1950, McCarthy announced during a speech that he knew there were 205 communist supporters or spies working in the U.S. Department of State ¨which is in charge of America's foreign relations¨.
Since the job of the U.S Department of State would be so important when it comes to the spread of a government style many people were probably astonished to hear such a big number which only made them more likely to want somebody to defend them.
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McCarthy targeted members of the Army, but made the mistake of seeming ¨mean-spirited¨ and somebody fought back by asking if ¨At long last, have you no sense of decency left?¨.
As the questioning progressed it seems natural that McCarthy would some point do something to hurt his reputation because he was dealing with such a feared and complicated subject. Afterall, it is hard to please everyone.
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Many people thought that McCarthy's attack of the army was not fair, and many of his fellow lawmakers criticized McCarthy for his decisions and the way he went about his questioning. After this the hearings stopped.
Those in the army (especially war heroes) are respected because they were willing to risk their lives for our country so it seems unreasonable for somebody to question their loyalty. Americans were very influenceable around this time and seemed to just follow and agree with whoever they saw fit at the time, so it's no surprise that they all switched sides really quickly, although the article does state that a message that became clear to the average American was to ¨Just follow¨ which would explain why sides switched pretty frequently and not many people had their own opinions.
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The committee that searched for ¨Un-American Activities¨ throughout the Hollywood entertainment industry demanded that almost everybody in the business come and rat out their fellow workers for having some communism beliefs or be ¨blacklisted¨.
By threatening a person's career the committee had a lot of power and influence when it came to information, but even though this method may seem solid I would be willing to guess that many people who were questioned used this as an opportunity to get back at those who they envied or disliked in the business. They get ahead while putting another behind. Not to mention, the people who just wanted to continue with their careers and didn't actually know if the people they accused were guilty or not.
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Most people who were accused of being a communist were not actually communists.
With so much confusion and fear there were many people who were wrongly accused. People could have named random names in order to continue with their careers or to get back at another, but it is clear to me that just a random accusation should definitely not be enough of a lead to convict a person of a crime, but if ¨questionable¨ evidence was accepted by the Senate in the past then why would it be denied now? Afterall, there was still the same amount of fear, it was just being caused by different people.
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