We chose the topic of Second Red Scare, known as McCarthyism, because we had expressed an interest in the Cold War

era. The actions of the government and the FBI were especially intriguing because of their contentious nature and significance in American history. In our research we first looked to credible encyclopedias which gave basic information and numerous external links that led us to more sources. We were able to find several primary sources early in our research, such as the McCarthy-Welch exchange transcripts and letters from President Eisenhower. We next narrowed our topic to the FBI's role in the Second Red Scare. We aimed to answer questions regarding why the government and FBI were compelled to rid America of communists, and how America was affected as a whole. We consulted the local library and acquired strong sources including an Edward Morrow documentary called The McCarthy Years and the book Many Are the Crimes by Ellen Schrecker. Next, we dove deeper into our primary sources to find evidence on specific events and personal opinions. Since the McCarthy era was controversial, many sources we found were biased. However, we continued to read these sources in order to gain a better understanding and broader perspective. We synthesized our information into an argument outline and made diagrams of our arguments so that we could find and address any holes. These resources gave us clear separation in our arguments that helped us organize our website. We enhanced the information from our outline and put it on our website. Images were ample because photography existed during the mid nineteenth century, which made finding media simple. As we continued to build up our website we continued to research documents that add to our argument. As we neared the end of the building process, we discovered parts where we did not have enough information or evidence, which led us to conduct focused research on very specific parts. We agreed to convey our project through a website because it is accessible to edit virtually anywhere and provides a medium for mixed media and clear organization. We chose pages that would allow us to provide context, information about government and FBI actions, and significance, in a logical and neat manner. As the United States witnessed the rise of international Communist threats during the mid 20th century, the fear of Communism swept America.The federal government felt the responsibility to prevent a communist overthrow in order to "secure the blessings of liberty" and protect democracy. This responsibility resulted in numerous aggressive government initiatives, which, in an effort to protect American rights, went too far and infringed upon the rights of its people. Americans who were fired or arrested were often assumed guilty, and the actions taken by the FBI to prove their guilt were questionable and sometimes illegal. During the Second Red Scare, as the FBI executed more and more arrests and investigations, its power continued to grow into a national threat to the rights of the American people. 499 Words