Join us for the kickoff of History on Tap:
“Witch Hunts, Then and Now: The Second Red Scare to the MAGA-era Ideological Purges”
The Second Red Scare was a period of intense fear in the United States during the late 1940s and 1950s, when the government and public became obsessed with rooting out alleged communists and Soviet spies. It led to widespread accusations, blacklists, loyalty tests, and civil liberties violations—most infamously driven by Senator Joseph McCarthy and fueled by Cold War paranoia. Today, that same playbook is resurfacing: political loyalty requirements, book bans, attacks on educators and bureaucrats, and the demonization of diversity and free expression are central to MAGA-era culture wars. Join us as we explore the dangerous throughline from 1950s fear politics to 21st-century authoritarian drift—where yesterday’s “reds” have become today’s “woke,” and dissent is once again treated as disloyalty.
Speaker: Erica Benson
Erica Benson is a seasoned historian and educator with over a decade of experience teaching U.S. history at the college level. She holds multiple degrees in history, including a Master’s degree in North American history, and brings a deep scholarly background to her work in both academic and public history.
A recipient of the prestigious James Madison Congressional Fellowship, Erica has participated in numerous elite history seminars and institutes, continually advancing her expertise in American political and social history. Her commitment to historical education extends beyond the classroom—she is a contributing writer for the National Women’s History Museum, -and an advocate for gender equality issues and the Equal Rights Amendment.
Erica’s work is grounded in a passion for making history accessible, engaging, and relevant. Her lectures are known for combining rigorous scholarship with compelling storytelling, offering fresh insights into the complexities of the American past.