Prompt: In its effort to protect national security, did the Truman administration violate the rights and freedoms of Americans? Use examples from the lesson to support your position.
Americans have often had to balance the need for national security with the need to protect people’s rights and freedoms. In times of crisis, rights are sometimes limited.

Beginning in the late 1940s, the Cold War dominated American life. For a number of years, the nation was in the grip of a new Red Scare. Although the hunt for communists did catch some spies, it also disrupted the lives of thousands of innocent Americans.

The following list displays the actions taken by the Truman administration to address the public concern about domestic communism:

President Truman created a Federal Employee Loyalty Program in March 1947. The order permitted the FBI and other government security agencies to screen federal employees for signs of political disloyalty.

The Truman administration also used the 1940 Smith Act to cripple the Communist Party in the United States. This act made it unlawful to teach or advocate the violent overthrow of the U. S. government.

Congress joined in the search for communists. In 1938, the House of Representatives had created the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) to investigate possible subversive activities by fascists, Nazis, or communists.