By 1950, it seemed that Joseph McCarthy, the junior Senator from Wisconsin, was doomed to fade into obscurity. But with a single speech in Wheeling, West Virginia on February 9 of that year, he ignited a firestorm that would forever change American politics—and carve out his space in history. Speaking before a small Women’s Republican Club, McCarthy claimed to have a list of 205 "known communists" in the State Department, sparking a nationwide hysteria over subversive elements in the United Stat

By 1950, it seemed the junior Senator from Wisconsin, Joseph McCarthy, was doomed to leave behind an undistinguished tenure. But with one speech in Wheeling, West Virginia on February 9, he'd carve out his space in history. Claiming to have a list of 205 "known communists" in the State Department, McCarthy sparked a nationwide hysteria over subversive elements in the United States government. | American Experience | PBS

Before his name became synonymous with political witch hunts, Joseph McCarthy was simply a senator from Wisconsin. Tune in or stream #McCarthyPBS Mon, Jan 6 at 9/8c on American Experience | PBS. | PBS