House Committee on Un-American Activities

2025-10-07T04:40:37Z

46.14.193.6: Reworked the page in sections for easier reading, added more information + references

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The '''House Committee on Un-American Activities''' (HCUA), also known as the '''Committee for Un-American Activities''' and the '''House Un-American Activities Committee''', was a committee of the [[United States House of Representatives]] created in 1938 with the proclaimed purpose of investigating suspected communist activities amongst citizens, residents and organizations in the [[United States]]. The HCUA became infamous during the [[Second Red Scare|Red Scare]], a period of anti-communist hysteria in the 1950s that involved widespread political repression by the US Government.

== History ==
The HCUA became a standing (permanent) committee in 1945, and was renamed the House Committee on Internal Security in 1969.
[[File:PaulRobesonBeforeTheHCUA.opus|thumb|Paul Robeson's testimony before the House Committee on Un-American Activities.]]
The political witch hunts launched HCUA led to the [[Hollywood Blacklist]], which blacklisted [[The Hollywood Ten]] from the film industry due to their alleged "communist sympathies". The HCUA was also known for its persecution of civil rights and anti-war activists on false charges of "subversion". Notable cases include [[Paul Robeson]] and [[Charlie Chaplin]].

Although the House officially abolished the committee in 1975, its functions were in reality transferred to the [[House Judiciary Committee]].<ref>{{Web citation|newspaper=National Archives and Records Administration|title=Records of the House Un-American Activities Committee|date=1995-07|url=https://archive.org/details/RecordsOfTheHouseUn-americanActivitiesCommittee-NaraFindingAid|retrieved=2025-10-07}}</ref>

== Legacy ==
In recent times, the US Government has sought to replicate the [[lawfare]] tactics used by the HCUA. Sweeping and arbitrarily enforced legislation allows that state to selectively target political dissidents under the banner of "national security".<ref>{{Web citation|author=[[Rania Khalek]] and [[Amanda Yee]]|newspaper=[[BreakThrough News]]|title=Chinese ‘Foreign Agents’ and the New Era of McCarthyism, with Amanda Yee|date=2023-07-21|url=https://breakthroughnews.org/chinese-foreign-agents-and-the-new-era-of-mccarthyism-with-amanda-yee/|retrieved=2025-10-07}}</ref>

== References ==
[[Category:Stubs]]
[[Category:United States of America]]
[[Category:Anti-communism]]

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House Committee on Un-American Activities