Enemies from Within Speech

The Red Scare didn’t begin with the “Enemies from Within” speech. How does the speech position McCarthy within the anti-Communist movement? What does McCarthy suggest is his own role in the struggle?

Like other demagogues, McCarthy invites his audience to consider themselves as a heroic “us” standing against a more powerful, sinister “them.” What rhetorical strategies does he use to encourage his audience to view the world in these terms?

How does McCarthy combine factual evidence with emotional appeals? In what ways do his appeals to emotion serve to smooth over the gaps in his logical, evidence-based argument?