Young J. Edgar: Hoover, the Red Scare, and the Assault on Civil Liberties
by Kenneth D. Ackerman
2020-05-14 21:57:44
Young J. Edgar: Hoover, the Red Scare, and the Assault on Civil Liberties
by Kenneth D. Ackerman
2020-05-14 21:57:44
In 1919, when J. Edgar Hoover was 24 years old, a New York City postal clerk discovered sixteen bombs wrapped in individual packages -- America's first instance of homegrown terrorism. Then-Attorney General Palmer vowed a crackdown and enlisted Hoove...
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In 1919, when J. Edgar Hoover was 24 years old, a New York City postal clerk discovered sixteen bombs wrapped in individual packages -- America's first instance of homegrown terrorism. Then-Attorney General Palmer vowed a crackdown and enlisted Hoover as his deputy. Amid the hysteria, details of abuses emerged, Palmer fell, and the rise of J. Edgar Hoover began.
Hoover's drive to gain immense power, as well as his coolness and calculation, is explored in "Young J. Edgar."
With the Palmer raid a as a lens through which to view the terror-hysteria of post-9/11 America, "Young J. Edgar" reaches the heart of our modern debate over personal freedom in a time of war and fear.
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