In the 1950s, hysterical fears that America was being overrun by Communist subversives had a deeply chilling effect on freedom of speech. Anyone who was outed, or usually falsely accused, of harbouring Communist sympathies lost their jobs or were otherwise ostracised from public life. Everyone from government employees, including teachers and professors, to artists and journalists were treated with suspicion. Many were terrified of revealing the wrong views or saying the wrong thing. This crusade against the alleged Communist threat was led in large part by Republican senator Joseph McCarthy.
