The Cold War at Home
From Kailee Donovan
Grade 11
Class length: 48 minutes
Question: How did the anxieties raised by the Cold War affect life in America?
Objective: Students will discover how anti-communist hysteria created suspicion and fear during
the Cold War Era.
Materials:
Cold War at Home Powerpoint
Student guide/worksheet
Anti-Communist primary source handouts
Activities: (see PowerPoint)
• Introduction: Cold War basics (slides 1-4)
• PowerPoint: HUAC & McCarthyism (slides 5-8)
• McCarthyism Video Clip with guiding questions and class discussion
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_swO7Z2Vso&feature=related (show up to
4:30)
o Show clip and have students take notes on the questions given
o Discuss answers to questions as a class
• Primary Source Analysis: Comic book/flier group work (groups of 4) and class
discussion (use slide 9 and handouts given to groups)
o Students explore primary sources and complete the questions on the worksheet
provided.
o Come together for a class discussion about the primary sources
• Closure: Class discussion (slide 10)
o Did the US government have a right to persecute possible Communists as spies or
threats in the name of National Security?
o Do you know any examples of people being targeted in the name of National
security today? Do you think this targeting is ok in the name of National Security?
Assessments (informal):
• Observations of student note taking and group work
• Closure writing and class discussion
** Final question can be used as an exit slip for a formal assessment
Standards:
1.1.6 Compare and contrast various American beliefs, values, and political ideologies.
Name: ______________________
Ms. Donovan
The Cold War at Home Guided Notes & Questions
Terms:
Domino theory
Anti-Communist hysteria
HUAC
Blacklists
McCarthyism
Questions for McCarthyism Video:
1. What did the narrator mean by “the senator ran roughshod over civil liberties”?
2. How did McCarthy’s actions impact the American people?
3. What eventually happened to Senator McCarthy?
4. What was the ultimate result of the McCarthy hearings?
Primary Source Analysis: Comic Book & Flier
1. What is your initial impression of these artifacts?
2. What kind of messages do the images in the comic book convey?
3. Who do you think is the intended audience for these materials?
4. According to the flier, how can you distinguish a communist from other Americans?
(Give three specific examples).
5. Based on what you learned from these artifacts, what do you think it was like to live at
this time in US history?