The Red Scare, due to a combination of both international and domestic developments, was a response to the perceived, growing threat of communism. Fears started early, since 1901, when an anarchist shot the American president of the time, William McKinley, dead. Internationally, in 1917, communists had overthrown the royal family in Russia.
A series of strikes and bomb explosions shook through the US in the 1919's, with thousands of police officers, coal and steel workers going on strike. By the 1920's, there were over 150,000 anarchists and communists in the United States.
Thus the Red Scare spread throughout the US and resulted in violence against communists. The arrest of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti shows the extent of this fear of communism. These two men were arrested in May 1920 for a robbery in which two guards were killed, and found guilty, even though 107 people claimed they had seen them elsewhere when the crime happened. Despite many protests against the two men, they were eventually sentenced to death by the electric chair.
This build up of tensions against communism throughout United States history has created a culture of fearing and constant rejection of communism. Even today in California, teaching communism or even being a communist as a teacher faces many obstacles. The California Education Code Sec. 44932 outlines that being a member of the Communist party is a firing offense. This indicates that even today, there is still an implicit fear of Communism that remains in our lives.
Very interesting - especially the connection to how the red scare plays into modern day life. And it's interesting that the red scare affected the United States in such a wide-spread and profound manner. Part of this was because the United States' ideals of freedom and liberty also translated to economic freedom or a capitalist society. Communism, like opression and monarchies, represented everything the United States didn't stand for and thus many were afraid of it -- but were there worries truly legitimate?
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