Communist registration act
Encyclopedia
Communist registration acts were laws proposed and often enacted by the United States Congress
and many American
state legislatures during the Second Red Scare. These laws required members, sympathizers, and affiliated organizations of the Communist Party of the United States to register with the government, ostensibly for the purposes of public safety
. Communist registration acts were ultimately made redundant with the Eisenhower's signing of the federal Communist Control Act of 1954
, which outlawed the Communist Party altogether, and, incidentally, gave Fifth Amendment
protection against self-incrimination to Communist Party members.
Examples of Communist registration acts or bills include:
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and many American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
state legislatures during the Second Red Scare. These laws required members, sympathizers, and affiliated organizations of the Communist Party of the United States to register with the government, ostensibly for the purposes of public safety
Public Safety
Public safety involves the prevention of and protection from events that could endanger the safety of the general public from significant danger, injury/harm, or damage, such as crimes or disasters .-See also:* By nation...
. Communist registration acts were ultimately made redundant with the Eisenhower's signing of the federal Communist Control Act of 1954
Communist Control Act of 1954
The Communist Control Act was a piece of United States federal legislation, signed into law by Dwight Eisenhower on 24 August 1954, which outlawed the Communist Party of the United States and criminalized membership in, or support for the Party.-Background:...
, which outlawed the Communist Party altogether, and, incidentally, gave Fifth Amendment
Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. Its guarantees stem from English common law which traces back to the Magna Carta in 1215...
protection against self-incrimination to Communist Party members.
Examples of Communist registration acts or bills include:
- Mundt–Ferguson Communist Registration BillMundt–Ferguson Communist Registration BillThe Mundt–Ferguson Communist Registration Bill was a proposed law that would have required all members of the Communist Party of the United States register with the Attorney General....
(1950, federal) - McCarran Internal Security ActMcCarran Internal Security ActThe Internal Security Act of 1950, , also known as the Subversive Activities Control Act or the McCarran Act, after Senator Pat McCarran , is a United States federal law of the McCarthy era. It was passed over President Harry Truman's veto...
, also known as Subversive Activities Control Act (1950, federal) - Communist Registration Act of 1953 (Delaware)
- Communist Registration Bill of 1952 (Louisiana)
- Trucks Act (ca. 1952, MichiganMichiganMichigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
) - Communist Registration Act (ca. 1955, WyomingWyomingWyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
)