Event Detail

Back to Events
A Good American Family: The Red Scare and My Father
  • Date: Thursday, May 16, 2019
  • Time: 4:00 pm
  • Location: William G. McGowan Theater, Washington, DC

Pulitzer Prize–winning author David Maraniss captures the pervasive fear and paranoia that gripped America during the Red Scare of the 1950s. A Good American Family recounts his family’s ordeal, from blacklisting to vindication. Elliott Maraniss, a World War II veteran who had commanded an all-black company in the Pacific, was  named as a communist by an FBI informant, called before the House Un-American Activities Committee, fired from his newspaper job, and blacklisted for five years. Yet he never lost faith in America and emerged with his family and optimism intact. A book signing follows the program.

All public programs at the National Archives are free. Reservations are recommended; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The doors to the building will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. Use the Special Events entrance on the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street, NW. Click here for more information on getting to the National Archives and parking.

Live captioning will be available online and in the William G. McGowan Theater. If you require an alternative or additional accommodation for an event (such as a downloadable transcript or a sign language interpreter), please send an email to public.program@nara.gov or call 202.357.5000 in advance.

Members at the National Archives Foundation often receive advance notice of public programs, invitations to special events, and a 10% discount at the National Archives Store. Learn more and join today!