Date Approved
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department or School
History and Philosophy
Committee Member
Ashley Johnson Bavery, Ph.D.
Committee Member
John G. McCurdy, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Steven J. Ramold, Ph.D.
Abstract
A comparison of the 1949 Smith Act trial of Communist Party leaders in New York and the 1952 Smith Act prosecution of six Detroit communists shows that Cold War anticommunism in the United States was not uniform; instead, it was shaped by local political contexts. While some New York communist leaders had ties to Soviet intelligence, they were ultimately prosecuted for their political speech which, under the Smith Act, rose to a crime. Conversely, the Detroit defendants had no clear ties to any Soviet intelligence officers and were simply prosecuted under the Smith Act for their political speech and local activities. Situated within a broader historiographical debate between revisionist and traditionalist historians, this comparative analysis demonstrates how anticommunist repression varied by region and by application. Through these contrasts, this piece challenges simplistic McCarthy-era narratives and contributes to Cold War scholarship by offering an abundance of nuance.
Recommended Citation
Sangster, Alan, "Tangled up in red: The Smith Act, Cold War repression, and the trials of Communists in New York and Detroit" (2025). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 1323.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1323