Why were people blacklisted

The blacklist eventually grew to names and persisted up to the s. But the witch hunt in Hollywood was not over. A second wave of subpoenas, along with the Mephistophelian "graylist," appeared in In some cases, blacklists have done great damage to people's lives, locking them out of employment in their chosen careers or denying them access to influential organizations.

Blacklists may also necessitate disclosure laws. State and federal fair credit reporting acts, for example, require that access to information in a credit report must be given, upon request, to the person to whom the information applies. The most famous instance of blacklisting in U.

Motion picture companies, radio and television broadcasters, and other firms in that industry developed blacklists of individuals accused of being Communist sympathizers. Those firms then denied employment to those who were named on the blacklists. Blacklisting in Hollywood came about largely through the work of the House Un-American Activities Committee HUAC , which was formed to investigate the activities of Communist, fascist, or other supposedly subversive and "un-American" political groups.

In highly publicized hearings in , —52, and —55 the committee sought to ferret out Communist sympathizers, conspiracies, and propaganda in the entertainment industry. Entertainment industry companies, fearing that they would be perceived by the public as pro-Communist if they employed people named in the hearings,.

Reviews and articles: Klehr, Harvey. Documentary and factual review of the Whittaker Chambers-Alger Hiss controversy. Consists of archival film and interviews. Robert Oppenheimer's life and legacy are inextricably linked to America's most famous top-secret initiative - the Manhattan Project. Embroiled in controversy during his lifetime he was forced to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee, where he admitted that he had associations with the Communist Party in the s, but he refused to name members.

This biography presents a complex and revealing portrait of one of America's most influential scientists with commentary by his former colleagues and eminent scholars. Brings the 20th century back to life through narration, rare photographs and stunning footage.

Promoting the American dream: The U. Milestones include: the arms race between the U. Between and the early 50's the lives of thousands of ordinary citizens were destroyed because they were accused of un-American activities. Teachers, writers, anyone who expressed a liberal opinion could be accused. In this film both the anti-Communists and the victims of the notorious McCarthy witchhunts talk candidly about the era of anti-Communist hysteria and blacklists.

Films by Frederick Marx. House of unAmerican activities , 17 min. Dream Documentary , 5 min. Dreams from China , 30 min. Documents the rise of Dalton Trumbo's career in Hollywood and his subsequent public humiliation for being among the 'Hollywood Ten' blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee in the s for communist associations.

The film follows screenwriter Trumbo to prison, to exile in Mexico with his family, to poverty, to the public shunning of his children, to his writing under various pseudonyms, and to an eventual Academy Award.