Importance of upholding the constitution

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Reference no: EM133732941

Assignment:

After reading the textbook, address only ONE of the two discussion prompts:

1. Senator Joseph McCarthy rose from obscurity to dominating headlines after his speech in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1950. Read Joseph McCarthy on Communism (1950) and Senator Margaret Chase Smith's "Declaration of Conscience" (1950). Once all reading is complete respond to the following questions. Make sure to reference specific passages from the documents and/or textbook to support your discussion:

What were the primary concerns and objectives of Senator Joseph McCarthy in his 1950 speech on communism?
What was Senator Margaret Chase Smith's perspective on McCarthy's tactics and accusations, and how did she criticize the use of character assassination and fear?
What strategies did Smith suggest should be employed to address the concerns about communist influence?
How did McCarthy view the role of the American people and their moral response in the face of the communist threat, and how did he believe it should lead to a moral uprising?
In contrast, how did Smith view the importance of upholding the Constitution, freedom of speech, and trial by jury when addressing the issue of communist influence?

2. Chapter 26 begins with the suggestion by John Kenneth Galbraith that fulfilling the desires of the Affluent Society of the 1950s was "unsound, unsustainable, and, ultimately, immoral." With that in mind read this excerpt from Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. Then view this video on the widespread use of DDT during the years of the 'affluent society.' Once all reading and viewing is complete respond to the following questions. Make sure to reference specific passages from the resources and/or textbook to support your discussion:

According to Carson, what are the consequences of prevailing attitudes toward the environment?
How did industry scientists respond to Carson's findings?
Why and on what grounds did they seek to undermine her work?
Describe the role of marketing and advertising in shaping attitudes toward the use of such a dangerous substance (DDT was banned in the US ten years after Carson's book came out).
How does this story relate to contemporary times?
Have we learned anything as a society over the six decades since Carson's book came out?

Reference no: EM133732941

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