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| | The Taft-Hartley Act did the following: | | The Taft-Hartley Act did the following: |
| − | *established the right of employees NOT to join unions | + | *established the right of employees NOT to join unions in states that also supported this right |
| | *a union could represent all employees only if state law permitted it and a majority of workers voted for it | | *a union could represent all employees only if state law permitted it and a majority of workers voted for it |
| | *unions must give 60 days notice before striking | | *unions must give 60 days notice before striking |
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| | *a later amendment in 1959 prohibited “secondary boycotts,” which were devastating “sympathy strikes” against additional companies to increase pressure on target company | | *a later amendment in 1959 prohibited “secondary boycotts,” which were devastating “sympathy strikes” against additional companies to increase pressure on target company |
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| − | For the purposes of American history, simply remember that the Taft-Hartley Act finally ended the unions’ enormous power. And not a moment too soon, because crippling strikes hurt the country’s economy in 1946 after the end of World War II. Ever since passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, Democrats have tried to repeal it, without success. | + | For the purposes of American history, simply remember that the Taft-Hartley Act finally ended the unions' enormous power. And not a moment too soon, because crippling strikes hurt the country's economy in 1946 after the end of World War II. Ever since passage of the Taft-Hartley Act, Democrats have tried to repeal it, without success. |
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| | Full Employment Act 1946: watered-down version of fed. govt. backing full employment | | Full Employment Act 1946: watered-down version of fed. govt. backing full employment |
| − | Loyalty Boards 1947: Truman checks on govt employees to ensure not Communists
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| − | Taft-Hartley Act "1947: conservative response to growing power of unions, passed over Truman's veto. Gave workers right not to join"
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| − | unions where allowed by state law; unions must give 60-day notice of strike; fed govt can block for 80 days
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| | Truman Doctrine "1947: Truman pledges economic aid for democratic countries opposing communism, beginning w/ Greece & Turkey" | | Truman Doctrine "1947: Truman pledges economic aid for democratic countries opposing communism, beginning w/ Greece & Turkey" |
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| | George Kennan/Containment "1947: State Dept official Kennan publishes US goal to ""contain"" Communism, underlay Cold War" | | George Kennan/Containment "1947: State Dept official Kennan publishes US goal to ""contain"" Communism, underlay Cold War" |
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| | National Security Act/Council 1947: estab. Council as advisory body to President on national security issues; used CIA as info-gatherer organiz. | | National Security Act/Council 1947: estab. Council as advisory body to President on national security issues; used CIA as info-gatherer organiz. |
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| | Marshall Plan "1947: financial assistance to European economies struggling from WWII, Communists reject it" | | Marshall Plan "1947: financial assistance to European economies struggling from WWII, Communists reject it" |
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| | Jackie Robinson "1947: broke ""color barrier"" by becoming first black baseball player in Major Leagues, for Brooklyn Dodgers" | | Jackie Robinson "1947: broke ""color barrier"" by becoming first black baseball player in Major Leagues, for Brooklyn Dodgers" |
| | Organization of American States 1947: Latin American organization incl. US to handle issues | | Organization of American States 1947: Latin American organization incl. US to handle issues |
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| | Central Intelligence Agency "1947: Gathers intelligence through ""overt and covert"" methods; uses info collected by all agencies; sets intell. goals" | | Central Intelligence Agency "1947: Gathers intelligence through ""overt and covert"" methods; uses info collected by all agencies; sets intell. goals" |
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| | """Iron Curtain""" 1945-90: Churchill's phrase to describe Communist capture of East. Europe nations | | """Iron Curtain""" 1945-90: Churchill's phrase to describe Communist capture of East. Europe nations |
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| | North Atlantic Trty Org. (NATO) 1948: rejects George Washington's farewell address w/ foreign alliance to stop Communism | | North Atlantic Trty Org. (NATO) 1948: rejects George Washington's farewell address w/ foreign alliance to stop Communism |
| − | Youngstown Sheet & Tube case "1952: Sup. Ct. invalidates Truman's seizure of steel mills, which he did to avert a strike during Korean War"
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| − | House Un-American Activ. Com. "1948-50s: investigated Alger Hiss case, convicted Communists in America, including ""Hollywood Ten""" | + | == Communist Infiltration == |
| − | Whittaker Chambers/Alger Hiss "1948: Chambers (ed. of Time) says Hiss was Comm.; shows microfilms; Hiss convicted of perjury, jailed 5 yrs" | + | |
| − | Ethel and Julius Rosenberg 1950s: executed for selling atomic bomb secrets to USSR | + | After World War II, the Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.) and its communism became an enemy of the freedom embraced by the United States. Soon there was infiltration by communists into American government. In 1947, President Truman instituted Loyalty Boards to check on government employees to ensure they were not communists attempting to overthrow our form of government. |
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| | + | From 1948 through 1950, a young congressman named Richard Nixon held hearings for the House Un-American Activities Committee, which investigated communists who had infiltrated government and Hollywood. The most famous hearings concerned the investigation into Alger Hiss, one of FDR's top aides. Hiss dramatically denied that he was a communist, but it was later proven that he was. The Committee also investigated the "Hollywood Ten" to try to root out communism in Hollywood. |
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| | + | Alger Hiss was exposed by Whittaker Chambers, a former homosexual communist who found Jesus and testified against Hiss. Chambers, a writer for Time magazine, described with great detail his communications and meetings with Hiss, yet Hiss denied it with vigor. At times Hiss had the better of the congressmen in the hearing, as when he as presented with a picture of Chambers for identification purposes. Hiss said it could have resembled many people, including one of the congressmen on the committee! The crowd roared with laughter at the expense of the committee, including Nixon himself. Nixon was furious, and he intensely disliked the wealthier and more urbane Hiss. |
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| | + | But Chambers told the committee about how Hiss was a bird-watcher who once saw a rare prothonatory warbler while bird watching along the Potomac River. The committee asked Hiss about whether he had seen such a bird. Anxious to show off, Hiss bragged about he had seen this rare bird one morning along the Potomac River. That convinced the committee that Hiss was exactly who Chambers said he was: a lying communist. |
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| | + | In another dramatic moment, Chambers recalled that he had received secret documents from Hiss on microfilm, which Chambers had hidden inside pumpkins on his farm in rural Maryland. Nixon actually drove out to the farm with Chambers and opened up the pumpkins to find microfilm just as Chambers said. |
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| | + | Eventually Hiss was convicted of perjury (lying during his testimony), and served five years in jail. He maintained his innocence for the rest of his life but when communism ended in the Soviet Union and documents about spies were released in the 1990s, it was proven that Hiss was indeed a communist spy. |
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| | + | In the 1950s, another controversial trial was the conviction of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg for selling atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union. They were executed. |
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| | == United Nations == | | == United Nations == |