In my history/psychology learning community (team taught with a colleague from the Psychology Department), we have given special attention to the role of personality in history. Exploring 20th-century history through the lens of biography led me back to Edward R. Murrow, to whom my undergraduate professors first introduced me.

Murrow’s courage in taking on Joseph McCarthy is well documented; but I was stunned (and pleased) to witness how my students reacted to learning about Murrow for the first time. Not only were they shocked that McCarthy survived as long as he did, but they basically cheered Murrow’s speeches and marveled that “communism was even an issue.”

For students who grew up in the social media age, the idea of speech restrictions seems totally preposterous. It’s difficult to bridge the gap between 2014 and 1954 and for students to imagine a time when speech (or even knowing someone who said the wrong thing) could land you out of work or in jail. But as I learned today, the power of Murrow’s critique still resonates and his words did more to convey the darkness of the McCarthy era than anything I could say.

So, I leave you with this great clip: