1. Espionage Trials and Cultural Shifts

2. In the 1950’s, fear of nuclear war and fear of communist agents was combined in a pair of key espionage trials
In 1948, Alger Hiss was accused of spying for the Soviet Union
Hiss was a former State Department official
Hiss was convicted of perjury
In 1950, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were accused of giving the Soviet Union information about the atomic bomb during WWII
This was believed to have led to the Soviet Union developing an atomic bomb earlier than expected
They were convicted of espionage, sentenced to death, and executed in 1953

3. The Rosenbergs, Step 1
Guiding Question: Should the Rosenbergs have been convicted of espionage?
Analyze both sources in relation to the guiding question

4. The Rosenbergs, Step 2
Use the handout to write a dialogue on the Rosenbergs
The Pro side should be arguing that they should have been convicted
The Con side should be arguing that they should not have been convicted
Each box should both contain an argument for that side and address the other sides previous argument

5. How might these three quotes relate to each other?
The Pledge of Allegiance adopted by Congress in 1954
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all
The Pledge of Allegiance, as written in the 1920’s and adopted by Congress in 1942
I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all
Quote from Karm Marx, founder of communism
 in periods when the political state as such is born violently out of civil society, when political liberation is the form in which men strive to achieve their liberation, the state can and must go as far as the abolition of religion, the destruction of religion.