The Red Scare

Goals

Understand and relate to the Red ScareExplore its impact on societyCompare the Red Scare to other US eras and

today

Procedures

Short lecture about the basics of the Red Scare

Dot game and discussion – experiencing the Red Scare

Washington Post article – connections to today

The Basics

Return to NormalcyRussian Revolution

CommunismAmerican Reactions

Fear Immigration

Sacco and Vanzetti Events Civil Rights Coverage Public Outcry

Dot Game

I will give everyone one scrap of paper Some pieces have red dots on them, most do not Look at your paper and put it in your pocket Do not show anyone!

10 minutes to play Non-dots = create the largest group of non-dots possible Dots = infiltrate (get into) non-dot groups Everything is allowed except showing your paper

Question everything! – could be the truth or a lie!

I will give more instructions after 10 minutes.

Discussion

1) How did you feel when you discovered you had a blank piece of paper? A dot?

2) What methods did you use to determine who had a “dot”?

3) For those who had dots, how did you convince others you were not a dot? Or how would you have if you would’ve had a dot?

4) For those who were accused of being a “dot”, how did you feel? What made you fearful or suspicious?

5) Given that there was no way to know for sure who was or was not a “dot”, why did you try so hard to convince others that certain class members were “dots”?

6) What emotions fueled this activity? Can you think of any other times in history (particularly US history) when something like this happened?

Connections to Today

What was Japanese Internment?

How is this relate to Arab Americans today?

Why would these two groups be connected?

What is profiling (racial/religious/political)?

Is profiling acceptable?

Reviewed Goals

We can: Relate to emotions and thoughts behind the Red Scare Understand its impact on society Explain the connections to similar issues in the 20th

century and today