Resisting Mccarthyism Summary

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Jason Campanile 4/8/11 Hist 400w Analytical Book Review Book Review of Resisting McCarthyism: To Sign or Not to Sign California’s Loyalty Oath McCarthyism in America included an era of suspicion, distrust and betrayal. During no other time period in the 20th century has so many of the basic democratic values of America been under threat. Many Americans found no hope in trying to stand up to the scrutiny they were put under during this time. With their jobs and careers on the line, most succumbed to the paranoia that forced them to give up their basic constitutional rights. Very few stood up to the McCarthy era’s witch hunts. Fewer, still, were able to win the battle to maintain their basic civil rights. The subject of Bob Blauner’s book, Resisting McCarthyism, is the story of the University of California faculty members that refused to sign an anti-communist loyalty oath. Through their struggle and sacrifice they were able to win their battle…show more content…
They were supported by university professors around the country. Six thousand dollars a month was donated for each of the non-signers. The court’s decision was unanimously in favor of the non-signers. Blauner quoted the court’s statement, “The imposition of any more conclusive test than the constitutional oath would be the forerunner of tyranny and oppression.”13 Blauner achieved his goal in writing an in-depth assessment of the oath crisis at Berkley. One of the ways in which he achieved this was to give insight into the background of each of the characters. This added a richness and depth to the narrative that could only have been done through extensive research. He is careful to give reasons for the attitudes and reactions of the people involved. Such was the case with Neylan, the story’s antagonist. Blauner traces his turn to extreme conservatism back to the time of the New Deal policies of the
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