How did the American anticommunism beliefs help advance the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s?

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How did the American anticommunism beliefs help advance the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s?

Jacqueline Chung

Mr. Donaldson

AP U.S. History

6 April 2012

Word Count: 1991

A: Plan of Investigation

        How did the American fight against communism help advance the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 60s? In 1917, the Bolshevik Revolution took place in the USSR. As a result, the Bolsheviks, or known as Communists, implemented their government in the country, creating the Red Scare in the U.S. Americans feared the idea that communism could take over in the U.S., causing paranoia and unconstitutional acts to be passed, like the Espionage Act and Emergency Quota Act. To add to the paranoia, the U.S. established the Bureau of Investigation, or Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), headed by J. Edgar Hoover, its sole purpose to arrest and deport any suspected communists. Hoover’s ever-growing list of suspected communists consisted of anarchists, those who threatened the American life, and because segregation was a factor, black citizens. However, in the 1950s, Hoover would face civil rights movement that took place when Martin Luther King became leader for racial equality, with support from the Brown vs. Board of Education case in 1954.

        Not only did the FBI exploitations of blacks spur increasing support for the civil rights movement, the Soviets used the basic aspect of communism towards the U.S. Communism basically means a proletariat society, and because U.S. black citizens were thought of as lesser than white citizens, the Soviets supported the civil rights movement taking place. Because the U.S. never ceased to be a superpower, the U.S. sought to give black citizens some leeway and equality. Still, the Soviets used the U.S. racism against the movement to their advantage by supporting Martin Luther King’s efforts towards equality.

        The aim of this investigation is to present how anticommunism first suppressed the civil rights movement but then hasten the movement in the 1950s and 1960s. This investigation will cover the growing paranoia of communism through Hoover, the U.S. and USSR relations during Cold War, and the Civil Rights movement itself. Research from articles, primary sources, and books will evaluate how successful anticommunism supported the civil rights movement in the U.S.

B: Summary of Evidence

1. Hoover and the FBI

        With the civil rights movement on the way, fear of communism caught America’s attention for the time being, which established of the Bureau of Investigation with Hoover at its reigns and to undermine the implementation of any government reforms that would have been steps toward racial equality, as well as capture suspected Communists.  In the first half of the twentieth century, segregation had already taken its toll in the country, mostly in the Southern states. Due to the rise of communism, Hoover’s efforts towards evicting any suspected communists also consisted of those against segregation, whom were mostly black citizens. Hoover’s racial outlook on these suspects also came from his white, conservative, Southern background.

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        Hoover’s influence on the American public allowed more segregation and discrimination towards the black citizens, which caused more paranoia and accusations  These accusations were supported by the actions of the HUAC, the House of Un-American Activities Committee, during the 1930s when the committee created a blacklist of people, mostly in Hollywood, for supposedly showing Communist beliefs and ideas in movies and TV shows, which ultimately destroyed their lives.  Although no blacks were blacklisted in Hollywood, these actions show the growing fear of communism and how easily Americans subdue to these accusations. However, with Hoover and his suspicions, the HUAC began ...

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