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At 100 years old, Lee Grant stands as one of the last living witnesses to the devastating impact of McCarthyism on American lives and careers. The Academy Award-winning actor and director is now speaking out against Florida’s newly approved social studies teaching standards, which she believes misrepresent a dark chapter of American history.
“It’s a lie and a distortion of the truth of history,” Grant told The Associated Press, reflecting on Florida’s approach to teaching about the Red Scare era.
In 1951, Grant’s promising Hollywood career was suddenly derailed when she was blacklisted for refusing to name names before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The decision barred her from working in film or television for the next 12 years.
“Me? Turn in friends?” she said. “That’s not the way I am raised.”
The Florida Board of Education recently approved controversial middle and high school teaching standards that include instruction on the use of “‘McCarthyism’ as an insult” and how terms like “red-baiter and Red Scare” amount to “slander against anti-communists.”
These standards effectively reframe decades of historical consensus about U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the political movement he led in the late 1940s and early 1950s. McCarthy’s campaign to root out alleged communist influence in government, civil rights activism, and artistic communities resulted in public inquisitions, ideological loyalty tests, and career-destroying allegations based on little or no evidence.
Grant, born Lyova Rosenthal in Manhattan, earned an Academy Award nomination for her debut role in “Detective Story” alongside Kirk Douglas. Though not a Communist Party member herself, she spoke out at the memorial service of an actor friend who died of a heart attack six months after being questioned by HUAC.
“That was how I was blacklisted. That was the act,” she recalled.
Her name soon appeared on a blacklist alongside other prominent artists like Orson Welles, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Miller, and Lena Horne.
“We live in a democracy that was being used as a fascist tool to stop people from thinking,” Grant said of the period.
The blacklist effectively exiled Grant from Hollywood for over a decade during what should have been the prime of her career. While she continued working in theater, which provided sanctuary for some blacklisted performers, her film and television opportunities vanished overnight.
By 1954, public opinion turned against McCarthy, and by the 1960s, the blacklist’s grip on Hollywood began to loosen. Grant eventually made a remarkable comeback in the 1967 film “In the Heat of the Night” alongside Sidney Poitier. She later won an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role in the 1975 film “Shampoo” with Warren Beatty, and became an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, winning an Oscar for “Down and Out in America” in 1987.
Florida’s teaching standards, which will take effect in the 2026-2027 school year, stem from legislation signed by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis requiring instruction on communism and what proponents describe as the “threat” it has posed to the United States. The policy follows the state legislature’s designation of November 7 as Victims of Communism Day in Florida’s public schools, mandating at least 45 minutes of instruction on figures such as Mao Zedong and Fidel Castro.
Under these standards, Florida teachers must provide instruction on efforts by “anti-communist politicians” including McCarthy and former Presidents Harry Truman and Richard Nixon. The guidelines also direct educators to identify “propaganda and defamation” used to “delegitimize” anti-communists.
“Instruction includes using ‘McCarthyism’ as an insult and shorthand for all anti-communism,” the new standards state. “Instruction includes slander against anti-communists, such as red-baiter and Red Scare.”
Critics argue these standards attempt to rehabilitate McCarthy’s reputation and minimize the profound damage the era’s political persecution inflicted on civil liberties and individual lives. The term “McCarthyism” has long been recognized in legal and historical contexts as representing baseless attacks on free expression, with the U.S. Supreme Court referencing the phenomenon in several First Amendment rulings.
Grant, drawing parallels between past political repression and current trends, expressed concern about former President Donald Trump’s confrontations with media outlets and the potential chilling effect on free speech.
“As an old blacklisted actor, director,” Grant said, “I keep worrying.”
Her testimony serves as a living reminder of the personal costs of political persecution and the importance of accurately preserving historical memory, even as debates about how to teach contentious periods of American history continue across the country.
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12 Comments
The blacklisting of talented individuals like Grant was a shameful abuse of power. Her refusal to turn on friends despite the career consequences speaks to her integrity.
Absolutely. The McCarthyism era is a painful reminder of how quickly civil liberties can erode in the face of fear-mongering and demagoguery. Preserving an accurate historical record is vital.
At 100 years old, Grant’s insights carry immense weight. Her condemnation of Florida’s attempt to reframe this history is a powerful rebuke that should be heeded.
Agreed. When eyewitnesses to pivotal moments in history speak out, we must listen. Grant’s perspective deserves careful consideration, not dismissal.
While the Red Scare era was undoubtedly complex, rewriting it to cast anti-communists in a positive light is deeply troubling. Maintaining an objective, fact-based understanding of history is crucial.
Exactly. Attempts to sanitize or distort the historical record, especially by those in positions of power, should raise serious alarm bells. We must remain vigilant in defending the truth.
Grant’s courage in speaking out, even at 100 years old, is inspiring. Her firsthand experience of the devastating impacts of McCarthyism lends crucial credibility to her criticism of Florida’s standards.
Absolutely. Eyewitness accounts from those who lived through pivotal historical moments are invaluable. We must heed the warnings of those who have seen the real-world consequences of such revisionism.
It’s powerful to hear from a first-hand witness of the McCarthy era like Lee Grant. Her perspective on how the new Florida standards distort this dark chapter of history is invaluable.
Agreed. It’s concerning to see attempts to whitewash or reframe such a divisive and damaging period. Historians and eyewitnesses like Grant play a crucial role in preserving the truth.
It’s disheartening to see Florida’s educational standards seemingly whitewash the damage done by McCarthyism. Silencing dissent and demonizing critics is a dangerous path.
Well said. Distorting history to serve a political agenda undermines the very foundations of a democratic society. We must safeguard the integrity of our educational system.