Learn about Senator Joseph McCarthy and his role in stoking fears of communism's influence during the 1950s. | HISTORY

On February 9, 1950, a then-unknown senator named Joseph McCarthy delivered one of the most consequential speeches of his generation. | 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

Senator Joseph McCarthy, the man who spearheaded the anti-communist witch hunts of the Red Scare, died from complications of alcoholism on this day in 1957. Despite making countless enemies and being censured by his colleagues two years prior, his three funerals—one at St. Matthews Cathedral, one on the floor of the Senate and one in his home town of Appleton, Wisconsin—were well attended. | American Experience | PBS