On page 6 of Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang, a local politician that the narrator, Maddy Wirtz, calls "Congressman X" shows up at her high school and gives a speech that is anti-communist in its themes. Maddy recalls part of his speech in a sarcastic way as "American way of life free enterprise blah blah" (page 6). The politician later refers to the United States as "God-ordained" and to the idea that American ideals of life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness will win out "against all enemies" (page 6). Though the politician does not refer to who these enemies are, in the 1950s, they were understood to be communists, mainly in the Soviet Union. The speaker also discusses the idea that if the students work hard and have faith, they can achieve anything they want. This is the classic message of the value of American capitalism (in contrast to the evils of communism), but the message rings hollow to Maddy and her friends, who are from the working class.
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