Increasingly, Congress is concerned with the eradication of disloyalty and the defense of Americanism, and scarcely a day passes...that the outlines of the new loyalty and the new Americanism are not etched more sharply in public policy...In the making is a revival of the red hysteria of the early 1920s, one of the shabbiest chapters in the history of American democracy...What is this new loyalty? It is, above all, conformity. It is the uncritical and unquestioning acceptance of America as it is-the political institutions, the social relationships, the economic practices...The concept of loyalty as conformity is a false one. It is narrow and restrictive, denies freedom of thought and of conscience... What do men know of loyalty who make a mockery of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights? What lines of reasoning does Commager use to support his opinion of the anticommunist crusade's effect on Americans' liberties? Correct Answer(s) Drag appropriate answer(s) here Commager points out that this "new loyalty" could be viewed as restrictive because it denies freedom of thought and conscience. Commager unfavorably draws a comparison between the mistake of the 1920 s red hysteria to the nation's most recent approach to anticommunism. Commager explains that the "new loyalty" means that citizens are encouraged to question society, economics, and politics to become better citizens.
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Commager effectively argues that this "new loyalty" is a form of oppression rather than a genuine expression of patriotism, emphasizing how it stifles individual thought and conscience. He contrasts the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights with this narrow definition of loyalty, asserting that true loyalty should include critical engagement and dissent rather than blind conformity to existing structures. He also draws a parallel between the anticommunist crusade of his time and the red hysteria of the 1920s, suggesting that both movements represented a dangerous threat to American democracy. According to Commager, the historical context serves as a cautionary tale, reminding citizens that suppressing dissent in the name of national loyalty undermines the very freedoms that define America.
