McCarthy provided a simple explanation for America's "decline" in the world. He spoke of a massive internal conspiracy, directed by Communists and abetted by government officials. He provided names, documents, and statistics-in short, the "appearance" of diligent research.

-David Oshinksy, Professor of History at Rutgers University

 

In his prime Joe McCarthy was as dynamic, ambitious and charismatic as he was opportunistic, cynical and unethical. In the final analysis, he was a dangerous demagogue.

-Michael O'Brien, Professor of History at the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley

 

The battle between McCarthy and his adversaries was not a simplistic confrontation between right and wrong. It was a complex struggle, with strange twists and ambiguities, and at its heart lay two very different visions of what the cold war meant and how it should be fought.

-Arthur Herman, Adjunct Professor of History at George Mason University

 

Museums provide an important civic function when they serve not only as temples that house evocative artifacts, but also as forums that allow visitors to engage our history in all its complexity.

-Edward Linenthal, Professor of American Culture at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh

 

There was far more to the "McCarthy era" than Senator Joseph McCarthy. Although the premise that McCarthy was only part of a larger whole carries a burden of some banality, it is nonetheless crucial to an understanding of anti-communism in mid-twentieth century America.

-Richard Fried, Professor of History at the University of Illinois at Chicago

 

 

McCarthy brought to a head a struggle between national security and individual rights.

-Kimberly Louagie, Curator at the Outagamie County Historical Society

 

 

Along with the struggle for civil rights, McCarthyism was twentieth-century America's great moral crucible.

-Jerald Podair, Professor of History at Lawrence University