Answer:
Step-by-step explanation:
If this is the cold war, then these people were of some influence. Children were influenced by teachers. Labor leaders could lead strikes that would cripple parts of America that were dependent on labor. Government workers could do two things:
1) They could pass on information that the Government of America would not really like passed on.
2) They could influence other Government workers to see the world that they (the instigators) did.
That was the second time in the 20th century that people in certain professions were targeted and made to answer for their political beliefs. The other instance was during the McCarthy era where Joseph McCarthy went after people in high positions. Movie stars, movie directors, and movie writers were all fingered. Their courage was tested: all they had to do was name someone who was also a member of the Communist Party. McCarthy was brought down, but the hatred he generated lingered on.
Was all this right? The most sacred part of the Constitution of the United States is the First Amendment. Many have died for it, believing strongly in its sanctity. Many of those accused of being communists were ordinary citizens exercising their right to speak. The did not threaten to overthrow the government. They only wanted everyone to be treated fairly and not be subjected to the brutality of those in power.
It is never right to loose your livelihood for peacefully expressing your opinion.
There is some connection between the work of Martin Luther King Jr. and the McCarthy hate movement. J. Edger Hoover always had it in for King and tried very hard to make the connection between King and the Communist party stick. Fortunately he couldn't
The first time was after the first world war. I don't know much about this, but I do know that it was a brutal time and the confrontation between labor and the government officials was oppressive and many lost freedoms, family and jobs over the conflict. Try to find Attorney General Palmer to learn more.