Red Scares Trivia Quiz

Answer: all of these

The Sedition Act of 1918 made it illegal to insult or abuse the U.S. government, the flag, the Constitution or the military; or agitate against the production of necessary war materials; or advocate, teach or defend any of these acts. Many felt these provisions were at odds with the First Amendment.

Labor unions and their locals were seen as birthing grounds for socialism and anti-government activism.

The Sedition Act was repealed 3 years after its passage.

Answer: an insurrectionary anarchist

Luigi Galleani was an Italian immigrant and a leading radical insurrectionist anarchist in the USA. He attracted other poor Italian immigrants and socialists, especially members of labor unions. His followers were known as "Galleanists". They targeted anti-immigration politicians, anti-anarchist officials, and prominent businessmen.

They are believed to be responsible for mail bombings in several major U.S. cities.

Answer: Boston Police Strike of 1919

In September 1919, approximately two-thirds of the Boston Police Department went on strike. The local papers inflamed the situation by declaring that the entire police department had gone on strike. Some falsely reported that gangs were taking over the city. Others saw it as evidence of the spread of communism. The reality was that a lot of property was damaged, but there was no massive display of criminal activity.

Calvin Coolidge was governor of Massachusetts at the time. The strike was broken in three days.

Answer: Palmer Raids

The Palmer Raids were named for A. Mitchell Palmer, U.S. Attorney General in the Wilson Administration. The raids were the federal government's response to a series of bombings that took place across the country. The raids led to mass arrests, violence on the part of U.S. agents, and complete disregard of basic Constitutional rights. Hundreds were deported, many on the USAT Buford, also called the "Red Ark".

Answer: American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)

Raids across the United States continued, with police pulling suspects out of their apartments, often without arrest warrants. One thousand people were arrested in 11 cities. Seventy-five percent of the arrestees were released.

Answer: House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC)

In a 1950 speech a little-known senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, claimed, "I have here in my hand a list of 205 names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department."

McCarthy was chosen to chair the HUAC. He used hearsay and intimidation to establish himself as a powerful and feared figure in American politics. He labeled celebrities, intellectuals and anyone who disagreed with his political views as disloyal. Primary targets were government employees, prominent figures in the entertainment industry, academics, left-wing politicians, and labor union activists.

Negative publicity forced movie executives to create Hollywood blacklists that barred suspected radicals from employment; similar lists were also established in other industries.

Answer: USSR tests atomic bomb, People's Republic of China founded, Korean War begins

In 1949, the Soviet Union successfully tested a nuclear bomb and communist forces led by Mao Zedong took control of China. The following year the Korean War (1950-53) began, which engaged U.S. troops in combat against the communist-supported forces of North Korea.

Answer: Dennis v. U.S. (1951)

Eugene Dennis, General Secretary of the Communist Party USA, and 10 others were convicted of violating portions of the Smith Act which made it illegal to advocate for the violent overthrow of the government. The Court used the "clear and present danger" test set forth in Schenck v. U.S. (1919). The convictions were upheld on appeal. Both cases have since been overturned.

The trial lasted over 7 months. At the time, the longest federal trial in U.S. history.

Answer: Bert the Turtle

In 1951, under the auspices of the Federal Civil Defense Administration, a New York ad agency created a short film starring Bert the Turtle that was meant to educate children and adults about how to protect themselves against an atomic attack. The film was titled, "Duck and Cover."

Answer: The McCarran Internal Security Act

The McCarran Internal Security Act, also known as the Subversive Activity Control Act, the act required communist organizations to register with the federal government.
The enforcement end of the act was the Subversive Activities Control Board. The activities of theboard met with numerous constitutional challenges. The board was abolished in 1972 along with many of the provisions of the act.

The McCarran Act was the federal government's response to the public hysteria largely whipped up by the media.

The act was also known as the Concentration Camp Law.