Censure of Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1954

McCarthy became well known in the early 1950s when he asserted that communists had infiltrated many levels of the government and must be rooted out. His accusations spared few, but when he went after the army and the hearings were televised, his popularity plummeted. By 1954, the Senate censured him, an action that has happened to few senators throughout US history.

We have included the original 1954 Senate Resolution and transcript as well as questions and answers for students.