Looking towards Space

This week we continued our study of the Cold War by looking at how the government and ordinary people coped with the increasing fear of Communism and the arms race. The Russians increased the pressure on the US by being the first to launch a satellite into space, Sputnik. The Americans countered with the establishment of NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The pressure to put a man into space continued as the Russians were the first to put a dog into space and the first to put a man, Yuri Gagarin into space and to return him safely. NASA quickly responded by establishing the first class of astronauts, known as the Mercury 7 which included Alan Shepard, the US first man into space and John Glenn, the first US astronaut to orbit the earth. For those of you interested in the early days of space travel I recommend reading “The Right Stuff” by Tom Wolfe or watching the movie version. People during this time were enthralled by space travel and magazines, radio and TV were filled with stories about the preparations for space travel and the race between the US and Russia to be the first to the moon.

Back on earth, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy, a Republican from Wisconsin, held hearings focused on finding and rooting out Communists who may have infiltrated our government or armed forces. Many citizens were concerned with the growth of Communism around the world and the possibility of spies at home. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were convicted in 1951 of spying for the Russians and were the first US civilians executed for espionage.

Seeing this issue as a political opportunity, McCarthy launched what his critics called a “witch hunt,” looking for anyone with Communist leanings. While the threat of espionage was real, his tactics ruined the lives and careers of many who were tarnished by association with radicals or views they had held years earlier and later abandoned. McCarthy drew national attention and exerted great influence as he presided over heavily publicized Congressional hearings where he harshly grilled those subpoenaed to testify. He finally went too far by falsely accusing members of the armed services of being Communists, which led to his downfall when the Senate condemned his reckless attacks. Three years later, in 1957, he died.

You had the opportunity this week to take notes from our chapter “The Cold War in the United States” and to use these notes on a quiz. Taking good notes is a skill you will use in all your classes and in future endeavors. If you missed the quiz this week, please come by for a makeup….you have 5 days.

We also looked over your results from the Korean War survey. After collecting data and adding to that of your fellow students, you were able to test the hypothesis, “Was the Korean War the forgotten war?” Your text devotes just three columns to a conflict that lasted two grueling years and resulted in the death of over 54,000 soldiers.
To reinforce our vocabulary from this time period, we watched an episode of “Boy Meets World.”

End of the Quarter

The end of third quarter is fast approaching. We updated the status of assignment sheet this week and to date you have earned 190 points. The quiz on the Cold War adds another 10 points so next week we will update the sheet and you can figure out your score. The quarter ends April 5. We do not have school Friday, April 6.