The Second World War brought vast changes in American science. AAAS responded, evolving from an organization primarily concerned with promoting communication among its members to one with a strong professional staff committed to the advancement of science and the relations between science and society. The Association focused renewed attention and resources on science education. Scientific freedom became a major preoccupation as the Cold War intensified and McCarthyism reared its head. Out of the traditions and organizational culture established during the late 1940s and 1950s came AAAS s activism of subsequent decades on social issues such as racial justice, the environment, and the war in Vietnam.
Science belongs to all the people.