Duck and Cover
- What was happening in the United States during the time this film was produced?
- What attitudes toward war and conflict does the film suggest?
- How might a film like this have contributed to unease--or even moral panic--in the United States?
When Suspicion of Teachers Ran Unchecked
- Do you think the Communist Party was a real threat in America in the 1950s?
- Explain the following line: "The Board of Education's purges came to be widely condemned as the city's own witch hunt, repudiated later by subsequent administrations that reinstated dozens of dismissed teachers."
- Explain the following, especially the irony: "The legal brief calls it "more than ironic" that the city sought "to prohibit Ms. Harbatkin from 'naming names' in writing about this period in history."
Homework: In an analytical paragraph, connect either the film or the article to The Crucible. In other words, how does Arthur Miller's play help us understand this interesting time in America's history? To earn full credit, please cite examples from both the media--the film or the article--and the play.
Links for Further Study: House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) McCarthyism