Social Studies: AP US History: Cold War Domestic Politics Worksheet

Question 1

Explain one reason President Truman created the Federal Employee Loyalty Program in 1947 and one effect it had on domestic politics.

Accepted Answer

Truman created the Federal Employee Loyalty Program partly to respond to fears that communists had infiltrated the federal government and partly to protect Democrats from Republican charges of being soft on communism. One effect was that anticommunism became a major test of political loyalty, encouraging investigations, dismissals, and a more fearful political climate.

Question 2

Describe the role of the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC, in shaping domestic politics during the early Cold War.

Accepted Answer

HUAC investigated alleged communist influence in American institutions, especially government, labor unions, and the entertainment industry. Its hearings helped spread public fear of subversion and pressured people to name others, which raised concerns about civil liberties and freedom of speech.

Question 3

The Hollywood Ten refused to answer HUAC questions about their political beliefs and associations. Explain why their case is important for understanding Cold War domestic politics.

Accepted Answer

The Hollywood Ten case shows how Cold War fears placed political expression and association under suspicion. Their blacklisting demonstrated that anticommunism affected private employment and culture, not only government policy.

Question 4

Identify one similarity and one difference between Truman's and Eisenhower's approaches to anticommunism at home.

Accepted Answer

Both Truman and Eisenhower accepted containment abroad and supported some domestic security measures against communism. A difference is that Truman created a formal loyalty program while Eisenhower often avoided directly confronting Senator Joseph McCarthy at first, even though his administration later helped weaken McCarthy after the Army-McCarthy hearings.

Question 5

Explain how Senator Joseph McCarthy gained political influence in the early 1950s.

Accepted Answer

McCarthy gained influence by claiming that communists had infiltrated the federal government and by using dramatic accusations that attracted media attention. His charges appealed to Americans who feared Soviet espionage, the fall of China to communism, and the Korean War.

Question 6

Analyze one reason McCarthyism declined after the Army-McCarthy hearings of 1954.

Accepted Answer

McCarthyism declined because the televised Army-McCarthy hearings exposed McCarthy's bullying tactics to a national audience. Many viewers and senators concluded that his accusations were reckless, and the Senate censured him later in 1954.

Question 7

Explain how the Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 reflected both postwar labor conflict and Cold War politics.

Accepted Answer

The Taft-Hartley Act reflected postwar labor conflict because it limited union power after a wave of strikes. It also reflected Cold War politics because union leaders had to sign noncommunist affidavits, linking labor activism with fears of radicalism and subversion.

Question 8

A student argues, 'The Second Red Scare only affected government workers.' Evaluate this claim using one specific example.

Accepted Answer

The claim is inaccurate because the Second Red Scare affected many people outside the federal government. For example, Hollywood writers, actors, and directors were blacklisted after HUAC investigations, which shows that anticommunist pressure reached private industries and cultural life.

Question 9

Explain how the Cold War helped shape federal support for science and education after the launch of Sputnik in 1957.

Accepted Answer

Sputnik made many Americans fear that the Soviet Union was ahead in science and technology. In response, the federal government expanded support for math, science, and language education through the National Defense Education Act, connecting education policy to national security.

Question 10

Explain the meaning of President Eisenhower's warning about the 'military-industrial complex' in his 1961 farewell address.

Accepted Answer

Eisenhower warned that the close relationship among the military, defense contractors, and government could gain too much influence over national policy. His warning reflected Cold War growth in defense spending and concerns that permanent military readiness could shape domestic politics and the economy.

Question 11

How did Cold War concerns influence the federal government's response to civil rights issues in the 1940s and 1950s?

Accepted Answer

Cold War concerns encouraged some federal civil rights action because segregation damaged the United States' image in its competition with the Soviet Union for global influence. For example, Truman desegregated the armed forces in 1948, and the federal government recognized that racial discrimination weakened claims that the United States represented freedom and democracy.

Question 12

Explain how suburban growth in the 1950s reflected Cold War era domestic values and inequalities.

Accepted Answer

Suburban growth reflected Cold War era values such as homeownership, family stability, consumer prosperity, and conformity. It also revealed inequalities because practices such as redlining, restrictive covenants, and unequal access to GI Bill benefits often limited opportunities for Black Americans and other minorities.

Question 13

Put the following events in chronological order and explain the significance of one of them: Truman Doctrine, Federal Employee Loyalty Program, Army-McCarthy hearings, Sputnik launch.

Accepted Answer

The correct order is Federal Employee Loyalty Program in 1947, Truman Doctrine in 1947, Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954, and Sputnik launch in 1957. One significance is that the Army-McCarthy hearings helped reduce McCarthy's influence by showing many Americans his aggressive and reckless methods on television.

Question 14

Write a one-sentence thesis for this prompt: Evaluate the extent to which the Cold War changed domestic politics in the United States from 1945 to 1960.

Accepted Answer

A strong thesis would state that the Cold War changed domestic politics to a large extent by expanding federal security measures, fueling anticommunist investigations, and linking education and civil rights to national defense, although older conflicts over labor, race, and party politics continued to shape the period.

Question 15

Choose two pieces of evidence from this worksheet and explain how they could support an APUSH argument about civil liberties during the Cold War.

Accepted Answer

Two useful pieces of evidence are HUAC investigations and the Hollywood blacklist. Together they support an argument that Cold War fears narrowed civil liberties because political beliefs and associations could lead to public questioning, job loss, and pressure to accuse others.

Social Studies: AP US History: Cold War Domestic Politics

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