America has gone through many difficult times throughout history. One of these periods is known as the McCarthy era. During the early 1950s the "witch hunt" of suspected communists took place. It was enough to be suspected of communism to be accused. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, in order to gain political power, exploited the fear of communism in the United States in the early 1950s by falsely accusing innocent citizens of political corruption, thus creating a lasting impact on the government, the entertainment and the history of America.Joseph Raymond McCarthy was born on a farm in Grand Chute, Wisconsin, on November 15, 1908. His parents, Timothy McCarthy and Bridget Tierney, were devout Roman Catholics. The Catholic faith places great emphasis on love, kindness and charity; ideals that would soon be forgotten by a power-hungry Joseph. As the fifth child of nine children, expectations were high for Joseph. Sibling rivalries instilled in him a great desire to be the center of attention that would carry on throughout his adult life. No one would expect such a historical impact from such simple roots. Joseph attended Underhill School, a one-room school, where he completed eighth grade at the age of 14. He left the life of a scholar and invested in his own chicken farm. Years later, when disease wiped out his flock, McCarthy began working as a grocery store clerk. He quickly became manager; he decided to go back to school. Joseph completed Little Wolf High School's four-year program in just nine months. Accepted for his good grades, Marquette University began his legal career. Joseph graduated as president of his class in 1935 and opened his own law practice in Waupaca. Subsequently, he joined a law firm. Before Joseph was even... middle of the paper......://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/venona/1951/11oct_gomer.pdf5. http://www.hanford.gov/c.cfm/oci/ci_spy.cfm?dossier=906. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/blacklist.html7. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/telegram.htm8. http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/mccarthy/navasky.htm9. http://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/cs181/projects/2007-08/communism-computing-china/10. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthy.htm11. http://www.apl.org/community/hist/mccarthy12. http://www.nytimes.com/books/first/h/haynes-venona.html13. Anderson, Jack and James Boyd. Confessions of a Muckraker: The Inside Story of Life in Washington During the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson Years. New York: Random House, 1979. Print.14. David Oshinksy, A Conspiracy So Vast: The World of Joe McCarthy (New York: The Free Press, 1983), passim.