During the early 1950s there was a fear amongst the American people regarding the possible infiltration of Western Society by Russia and other communist nations. One man, Senator Joseph McCarthy, led a hunt for alleged communists that would lead to the blacklisting and persecution of actors, musicians, painters and other hardworking people including military personnel who served with honor in WWII. These hearings, which were held in front of the Committee on Un-American Activity, were televised and became a national sensation in itself. One man, Emile de Antonio, made documentaries that gave future generations a perspective on this time period the nation would not have otherwise been able to have.
The Hollywood blacklist was one of the longest lists to contain the names of accused communists during the 1950s (Unknown Author, 2011). It blacklisted such people as Arthur Miller, Dalton Trumbo and Charlie Chaplin. While most of these artists were able to return to work after 1954, some careers were ruined by the accusations made against them (American Masters, 2006). Emile de Antonio took footage from the original hearings and compiled a documentary called Point of Order that painted an unabridged picture of how this blacklisting affected the nation, specifically with arts and entertainment.
[...] Unfortunately, the effects of McCarthy's actions would be felt for decades to come. As a politically motivated film maker, de Antonio was consistently subjected to criticism as well as being placed under observation by federal authorities. He made several documentaries, including one that focused on the Weather Underground and their political ideologies (Szurek, 2007). This led to a major court case that ended in stating independent film makers have the same right to protect their sources as television and print journalists (Szurek, 2007). [...]
[...] Arthur Miller, McCarthyism. Retrieved December 9, 2011 from http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/arthur- miller/mccarthyism/484/ Heymann, Philip (2011). Muslims in america after 9/11: the legal situation. Retrieved December 9, 2011 from http://www.ces.fas.harvard.edu/conferences/muslims/Heymann.pdf Schrecker, Ellen. The Age of McCarthyism. Boston: Bedford Books of St. Marvin's Press, 1994. (pp. 92-94) Szurek, Sam (2007). An Interview with Emile de Antonio. Retrieved December 9, 2011 from http://www.reverseshot.com/article/emile_de_antonio_interview US Department of Justice (2011). Initiative to Combat Post-9/11 discriminatory Backlash. Retrieved December 9, 2011 from http://www.justice.gov/crt/legalinfo/discrimupdate.php Unknown Author (2011). 53a. McCarthyism. [...]
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