摘要
While professional associations connected to higher education such as the American Association of University Professors fought to defend its members against the anti-communism of the 1950s, evidence suggests that teachers' unions failed in this role. Drawing upon the archival records and publications of the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, the following paper argues that the ideological inclinations of union leaders hindered their efforts to protect K-12 public school teachers. The attacks on academic freedom rights during the McCarthy era would thus have implications for years to come in regard to the ability of K-12 teachers to exercise their intellectual autonomy.