Historical Context in Remarks to the Senate in Support of a Declaration of Conscience

Smith’s words echo the sentiments that Lincoln expressed in his First Inaugural Address in 1861: “We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies.” At the time, the country was on the brink of civil war. With these words, Lincoln attempted to promote unity and reconciliation, but to no avail. Smith’s words carry a similar plea, one which urges McCarthy and his supporters to stop sowing division between Americans. Rather than fighting “the enemy”—the USSR—the United States has been fighting itself, once again evoking the ghost of the American Civil War and the threat of internal violence.

There were several high-profile court cases related to the Communist threats taking place in the 1940s and 1950s, including the cases of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and Alger Hiss. The Rosenbergs were accused of giving US military secrets to the USSR, leveraging Julius’s position as an army engineer. Alger Hiss was a US government official serving in the Justice Department. He was accused of being a Soviet spy by Whittaker Chambers, a former member of the Communist Party who became an outspoken anti-Communist. While testifying before HUAC, Chambers implicated Hiss as a Soviet operative. Smith scolds the Senate for “diluting” what she sees as justified criticism of the Democratic party with “unproved charges.” Even as she criticizes her party, she still presents herself as an advocate for the Republican platform; indeed, her criticisms are driven by her outspoken desire for the party’s amelioration.

“Campaign issues” refers to the topics and causes that parties base their platforms around in order to win elections. In the mid-20th Century, the mounting threat of the USSR and the spread of Communism was a controversial issue. Democrats preferred the containment method proposed by Truman, which sought to stop the spread of Communism while allowing it to continue in places where it was already established. Republicans felt that this was a show of weakness and believed that a more aggressive approach was needed; Smith disagrees. Smith’s continuous references to the wellbeing of the Republican Party serve to enhance her ethos, reminding her audience that she is not criticizing her party on partisan grounds but rather moral ones.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was the first US President to identify as a Republican. He took office as the United States was on the brink of civil war. During his tenure, he kept the country together through the war and abolished slavery. In his 1865 Second Inaugural Address, delivered 36 days before the end of the American Civil War, Lincoln said, “With malice toward none; with charity for all [... ] let us strive on to finish the work we are in.” By evoking the American Civil War, Smith reminds her audience of the dangers of a divided nation. By citing Lincoln, she appeals to their sense of national pride, offering them the chance to emerge as the “champion[s] of a united nation.” She directly associates unity with victory and glory.

All four of these “rights” are protected by the Bill of Rights, specifically the first amendment, which reads: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” The right to political disagreement and the right to support “unpopular beliefs”—such as Communism—are supposed to be protected by the US Constitution. Smith once again invokes legal precedent in order to remind the Senate of their duties to the American people. She also positions McCarthy’s tactics as un-American, since they publicly punish and humiliate people for activities she establishes as protected by “basic principles of Americanism.”

The noun “Americanism” refers to a sense of loyalty towards the traditions, institutions, and ideals associated with the United States of America. These loyalties often extend to historical documents, such as the US Constitution, and more general beliefs in individual liberty, a hallmark of a Democratic Capitalist society like the United States. Throughout World War II and the Cold War, the US saw a drastic increase in nationalist sentiment in response to the perceived threats of Fascism and Communism. Communism and Democracy were portrayed as opposites, and anyone who showed support or even tolerance for Communism was considered un-American.

Though McCarthy’s crusade against Communism remains his best-known campaign, he also ruined the reputations and careers of many others who were deemed subversives. Communism was linked with liberalism, so Hollywood was a prime target for accusation. This led to the creation of “blacklists,” unofficial documents that listed suspicious individuals who were then ostracized. McCarthy also targeted homosexual government employees, stating that they were security risks because they were more susceptible to blackmail. This crusade became known as the “Lavender Scare.” Smith removes the sensationalist aspects of Communism and homosexuality from the mix and instead reminds her audience that it is people whose lives are being ruined. She rejects McCarthy’s tendency to polarize and instead appeals to a sense of common humanity.

The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was established in 1938 and tasked with investigating Communist attempts to undermine and infiltrate the US Government. HUAC aggressively pursued suspected Communists and pressured people to give up information by threatening to label them as Communist sympathizers if they refused to answer. HUAC garnered broad popular support after the outbreak of the Cold War and its forceful interview tactics served as inspiration for McCarthy’s later investigative hearings. After McCarthy’s censure in 1954, HUAC faded in popularity and was eventually abolished in 1975.

“Congressional immunity” refers to a clause in article 1, section 6 of the US Constitution, which states that “for any Speech or Debate in either House, [Congress Members] shall not be questioned in any other Place.” This provision, often referred to as the Speech or Debate clause, protects Congress members from charges of defamation, slander, or any other crime on account of words they say or publish while working in an official capacity. This clause allowed McCarthy and his supporters to make whatever accusations and claims they wanted to without consequence as long as they were acting in an official capacity as members of Congress.

A national advisory commission, more commonly known as a presidential commission, is a group of subject and policy experts appointed by the President to address a specific issue. Presidential commissions are responsible for investigating, researching, and drafting a report on their given topic. The report is delivered to the President. These commissions brought experts together to solve pressing issues and advise the president on policy initiatives. A national advisory commission focused on providing “critically needed leadership” was not established under Truman. However, the President's Commission on Internal Security and Individual Rights, established January, 1951, by Executive Order 10207, was formed to address the infringements on individual rights brought on by McCarthyism and the need to maintain internal governmental security. Harry S. Truman: "Executive Order 10207—Establishing the President's Commission on Internal Security and Individual Rights," January 23, 1951.

As of 1950, the Republican party was declining in popularity. For some, McCarthy represented a potential revival for the party. The “lack of effective leadership” by the legislative branch, or congress, stemmed from a combination of fear and opportunism. Many of McCarthy’s supporters were Republicans who took advantage of his burgeoning popularity to bolster their own careers. On the other hand, political detractors were the first to be accused of harbouring Communist sympathies, so many kept quiet to protect their reputations. The “Executive Branch”—the President and his cabinet—was seen as weak for advocating for the containment of Communism rather than the eradication of it. Moderate Republicans blamed Truman’s lack of decisive action against Communist countries for the rampant fear that allowed McCarthy to gain popularity.

One of the primary criticisms of McCarthyism was that it created an atmosphere of suspicion and mistrust. No one was safe from McCarthy and his supporters’ accusations, and their political detractors were common targets. Rather than focusing on the Cold War and what was perceived as an external threat of Communism, McCarthyism sought the threat within the United States. Rhetorically, the phrase “national suicide” enforces the idea that McCarthyism is self-destructive and ruinous to American values. Smith highlights the threats that “fear and frustration” pose to democracy and the country at large. Rather than being threatened from the outside, the country is committing “suicide.”

World War II ended on September 2nd, 1945, and the temporary alliance between the Communist USSR and Democratic US ended with it. World War II and the perceived threat of Fascism had led to an increase in American nationalism and an attendant fear of alternative political models. Once the threat of Fascism faded, Communism became the new threat, and soon the USSR began annexing other countries and spreading Communism. This aggression enhanced the anxieties leftover from World War II and led to the “Second Red Scare,” the First Red Scare having coincided with the Bolshevik Russian Revolution in 1917 and the rise of the USSR. The rampant fear surrounding Communism resulted in a rising tide of conservatism and a rejection of the more liberal ideologies that prevailed prior to World War II.

The Cold War (1947-1991) was the period of tension and geopolitical maneuvering between the Democratic United States and Communist United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) after the end of World War II. Each power sought to spread its political and economic ideologies to other countries. According to Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel’s 1848 “Communist Manifesto”, there should be no government in a Communist society since the people govern themselves. Philosophically, Communism rejects the idea of private property and the accumulation of individual wealth and status, instead focusing on economic and social equality. Conversely, Democracy, and by extension, Capitalism, raise the rights and freedoms of the individual. Communism was a source of fear for many Americans because it advocated a revolutionary overthrow of existing governments by the working class.

In February, 1950, US Senator Joseph McCarthy delivered a controversial speech to the Republican Women's Club of Wheeling, West Virginia. During the speech, he allegedly produced a paper that he claimed held the names of 205 Communists who had infiltrated the US State Department. This claim sparked national interest and sparked an era that has come to be called McCarthyism. As the Cold War progressed, national fears surrounding Communism grew. McCarthy and his supporters, capitalizing on this fear, began accusing politicians, reporters, and hollywood executives of being Communists and Communist sympathizers. Though he lacked evidence, McCarthy’s accusations nonetheless ruined careers and reputations, leaving many politicians afraid of speaking out against him for fear that they would be accused as well. Smith’s “Declaration of Conscience” was one of the first condemnations of McCarthy’s fear-mongering tactics.

Margaret Chase Smith was elected to the US House of Representatives as a representative of Maine in 1940, taking over the seat vacated by her late husband, Clyde Smith (1876–1940). Clyde Smith endorsed her candidacy and encouraged her to run prior to his passing. In 1948, she became a US Senator and the first woman to serve as a member of both houses of Congress. She identified as a moderate Republican, but she regularly disagreed with her party and became known for her independent nature. The “Declaration of Conscience” speech, delivered barely a year into Smith’s 23-year tenure as a US Senator, brought her to national attention as a politician.

Harry Truman (1884-1972) became President of the United States in 1945, after the death of his predecessor, Franklin D. Roosevelt. He held office from April, 1945, until January, 1953. His presidency was largely focused on dealing with the aftermath of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. Margaret Chase Smith, a Republican Senator from Maine, delivered the “Declaration of Conscience” speech in June, 1950, from the Senate floor. Truman later commended Smith’s sentiments, despite its criticisms of his administration, calling her words among “the finest things that has happened here in Washington in all [his] years in the Senate and White House.” Robert C. Byrd, The Senate, 1789-1989: Classic Speeches, 1830-1993. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1994.