Education in Crisis
Teachers and the Red Scare
In 1955, as a result of the Feinberg Law, 33 teachers had been fired after trials, 277 had resigned as consequence of pressure, and in 71 cases a past membership in the Communist Party was discussed, but didn't lead to dismissal or resignation.
Teachers in New York City protest the firings that result from the Feinberg Law.
Opponents of McCarthyism stressed how absurd the accusations were.
"Mrs. Flacks has always taught first and second grade. Are their hysterics so idiotic they believe she managed to inject Marxism-Leninism into minds grappling with alphabet blocks and how-to-do-sums-without-fingers? Is there evidence that she taught her little ones that D stood for Das Kapital or that two-plus-two added up to surplus value?"
I. F. Stone, "How We Reward a Devoted Teacher," The Daily Compass, October 3, 1952.