May 2: J. Edgar Hoover Dies

On this date in History ..... May 2, 1972:  

Just before the Watergate scandal erupted, J. Edgar Hoover dies after re-creating and leading the FBI for nearly 5 decades, serving under 8 presidents. 

He built the corruption-ridden agency into an efficient crime-fighting machine, establishing a centralized fingerprint file, a crime laboratory, and a training school for agents. 

After WWII, he worked closely with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and Senator Joseph McCarthy, the architect of America's second Red Scare.  

By 1969, Congress was suspicious of the FBI’s abuse of power and for the 1^st time Hoover found himself under criticism and the Congressional microscope.  Because of these inquiries, Congress passed laws requiring congressional approval of FBI appointments and limited time in office to only 10 yrs.

June 1: Senator Margaret Chase

On this date in History ... June 1, 1950:

Senator Margaret Chase Smith became the first Senator to denounce McCarthy’s anti-communist tactics.

Following her "Declaration of Conscience" speech, some pundits speculated that she might be the Vice Presidential candidate on the 1952 Republican ticket. She had other ambitions & became the first woman to have her name placed in nomination for the presidency by either of the two major parties. In the final balloting, Smith refused to withdraw and came in second to the Republican nominee, Barry Goldwater.

She had served four terms in the House, then won election to the Senate in 1948, becoming the first woman elected to both houses of Congress.

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March 1: Green Feather Movement

On this date in History .... 1954:

The Green Feather movement started in the campus of Indiana University when five “Merry Men” students covered the campus in green chicken feathers, tacking one to every bulletin board on campus, as a protest to McCarthyism and in response to an Indiana Textbook commissioner, Mrs. Thomas White, calling Robin Hood a communist.

In the Cold War era, the Indiana State Textbook Commission had recently raised arms against the Robin Hood legend appearing in schools for its communist undertones in the "rob-the-rich-give-to-the-poor" theme. The students saw the Robin Hood fuss as the epitome of McCarthyism pushed too far. They found their symbol and were ready to run with it. They would call it the "Green Feather Movement" with the five involved standing as "Robin Hood's Merry Men."  

Only two days pass before the entire state is involved in the controversy. Word spreads through the Midwest, and news organizations from Louisville to Indianapolis start taking sides. One Bloomington newspaper goes so far to say that the students are acting on behalf of the adults on campus who lack "courage of their conviction."

The Green Feather movement consequently spread to the Universities of Michigan, Illinois, and to Purdue and other universities across the country. Even Harvard University announced in May 1954 that a chapter would be formed on their campus. The movement was discontinued after McCarthy’s censure in December 1954.

(Sources for this article include www.thecrimson.com and www.idsnews.com)

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January 2: Folk Singers, The Weavers

On this date in History .... 1962:

The folk singing group, The Weavers, were banned from NBC and the Jack Paar Show when they refused to sign a loyalty oath disavowing the Communist Party.

The Weavers were big in the folk-singing revival era of the 1950s.  It is said that without the Weavers, there would be no Bob Dylan and no Peter, Paul and Mary. Their records sold in the millions.  But when it came to light they were pacifists who agreed with the pro-labor sympathies of the Communist party, their popularity dropped like hot lead.

The group was put under FBI surveillance, lost their recording contract and were called to testify at McCarthy’s House of Un-American Activities Committee.

They made a small comeback in the early 1960s but nowhere near the level they enjoyed prior. When asked by NBC to sign the oath, every member of the group refused.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCSTqYLfP5A