Woman of Courage — Senator Margaret Chase Smith
The Senator Who Stood Up to McCarthyism
As Senator Margaret Chase Smith (R)of Maine boarded the Senate subway, she encountered the junior senator from Wisconsin, Joe McCarthy. “Margaret, you look very serious,” he said. “Are you going to make a speech?” Without hesitation, Smith replied: “Yes, and you will not like it!” — Senate.gov
The date of this encounter was June 1, 1950. It would mark the most memorable and most courageous speech of Senator Smith’s long career.
I have recently been researching examples of political courage in the history of the United States. The recent political landscape within our nation has been embarrassing for us on an international stage. The examples of insurrection, impeachment, and escalating partisanship have been despicable. This is saying a lot.
I wrote recently about the comparison of revolution versus insurrection, and also a comparison of Trump with Richard Nixon. The Republican Party is a train wreck and we have escalated our habit of focusing on the negatives of our nation and our government. I would like to shift gears and tell the story of an amazingly courageous Congresswoman, Margaret Chase Smith.
Senator Smith served in the US House of Representatives from 1940–1949 and in the US Senate from…
