Senator Joseph McCarthy speaking with reporters at LaGuardia Airport shortly after his victory over Len Schmitt in the 1952 Wisconsin Republican primary.
Courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society
American Experience: McCarthy
Chronicle the rise and fall of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin Senator
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Fred Vigeant
Courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society
Senator Joseph McCarthy speaking with reporters at LaGuardia Airport shortly after his victory over Len Schmitt in the 1952 Wisconsin Republican primary.
McCarthy chronicles the rise and fall of Joseph McCarthy, the Wisconsin Senator who would test the limits of American decency and democracy.
Free of restraint or oversight, he conducted a crusade against those he accused of being Communists and enemies of the state, a chilling campaign marked by groundless accusations, bullying intimidation, grandiose showmanship and cruel victimization.
Finally, after years in the headlines, he was brought down by his own excesses and overreach. He died a broken man, but his name lived on. For more than half a century, it has been linked to an all-too-familiar phenomenon, the modern-day witch hunt we call McCarthyism.
Watch American Experience: McCarthy Monday January 6 at 9:00 PM on WITF. American Experience is available to watch through our website and also available on your smart television via the PBS Video App. Recent episodes including Woodstock, Chasing the Moon, and Sea Lab are also available for on-demand viewing through the website and app.
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