"Card-carrying communist" is a term popularised in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

during the

Second Red Scare McCarthyism is a political practice defined by the political repression and persecution of left-wing individuals and a campaign spreading fear of communist and Soviet influence on American institutions and of Soviet espionage in the United S ...

as a label for members of

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

and far-left organisations, especially the

Communist Party of the United States The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...

. The term is still considered

derogatory A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility ...

when used in its Cold War context.

History of the phrase

The term "card-carrying" originally had no political connotation, and was used to describe membership in any organisation. For example, Anabaptist Christians of the Schwarzenau Brethren Churches, such as the

Dunkard Brethren Church The Dunkard Brethren Church is a Conservative Anabaptist denomination of the Schwarzenau Brethren tradition, which organized in 1926 when they withdrew from the Church of the Brethren in the United States. The Dunkard Brethren Church observes ...

, have carried The Brethren's Card on their person since 1887. During the

, the term was used as a label for members of the Communist Party, and was used in this manner by both the

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, created in 19 ...

investigations and Senator

Joseph McCarthy Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death at age ...

. In the context of politics, the term remains derogatory. After the 1950s, the scope of the word expanded and is used for non-political applications. Senator McCarthy claimed there were fifty-seven "card-carrying communists" working for the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

, an allegation that was widely reported by American newspapers. This figure was different from the 205 "bad risks" figure, confusing reporters. The "fifty-seven card-carrying Communists" phrase first appears in a radio interview that McCarthy gave in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

, and is the phrase that appears in the

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Ind ...

on the speech he gave at Wheeling. McCarthy made a distinction between "card-carrying communists" and what he called " fellow travelers." A card-carrying communist was considered a genuine member of the party, while a fellow traveler only sympathised with the ideology.

History of communist membership cards

Industrial Workers of the World membership card

Early in the Cold War, there were Communist Party members who kept membership cards, although many also hid their membership. Possibly the earliest mention of the phrase comes from a 1912 article in the '' Daily People'', which mentioned "'Union-card' carrying members". A closer reference to the modern term was a 1918 piece in the ''

New York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' (from 1914: ''New York Tribune'') was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s ...

'', which described members of the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

, a prominent socialist union, as "red-card-carrying 'wobblies'". Because of the advent of digital technology, the contemporary

Communist Party USA The Communist Party USA (CPUSA), officially the Communist Party of the United States of America, also referred to as the American Communist Party mainly during the 20th century, is a communist party in the United States. It was established ...

does not issue membership cards.

Response

Many

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

and

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

Christians, as well as political conservatives, worked together to popularize wallet-sized or pocket images of '' The Head of Christ'' by Warner Sallman, promoting the idea that "there ought to be 'card-carrying Christians' to counter the effect of 'card-carrying communists'." Up until the

collapse of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

in the 1990s, the ''Head of Christ'' "had been printed more than 500 million times and had achieved global iconic status." However, the use of

holy card In the Christianity, Christian tradition, holy cards or prayer cards are small, Catholic devotions, devotional pictures for the use of the faithful that usually depict a religious scene or a saint in an image about the size of a playing card. Th ...

s by Christians (including Sunday School cards by Protestants) predates communism.

References

{{reflist Political terminology of the United States Anti-communism in the United States Joseph McCarthy

History of the phrase

History of communist membership cards

Response

See also

References