Introduction
Atom Bomb Definition: a bomb whose violent explosive power is due to the sudden release of energy resulting from the splitting of nuclei of a heavy chemical element (as plutonium or uranium) by neutrons in a very rapid chain reaction
The atomic bomb ended our war with Japan. However, seventy years later controversy still surrounds the decision America made to drop the bomb. Legitimate arguments can be made for either side. President Harry Truman faced the most difficult decision of his life, and possibly the largest decision any President has ever made.
August 5, 1963
Dear Kup:
I appreciated most highly your column of July 30th, a copy of which you sent me.
I have been rather careful not to comment on the articles that have been written on the dropping of the bomb for the simple reason that the dropping of the bomb was completely and thoroughly explained in my Memoirs, and it was done to save 125,000 youngsters on the American side and 125,000 on the Japanese side from getting killed and that is what it did. It probably also saved a half million youngsters on both sides from being maimed for life.
You must always remember that people forget, as you said in your column, that the bombing of Pearl Harbor was done while we were at peace with Japan and trying our best to negotiate a treaty with them.
All you have to do is to go out and stand on the keel of the Battleship in Pearl Harbor with the 3,000 youngsters underneath it who had no chance whatever of saving their lives. That is true of two or three other battleships that were sunk in Pearl Harbor. Altogether, there were between 3,000 and 6,000 youngsters killed at that time without any declaration of war. It was plain murder.
I knew what I was doing when I stopped the war that would have killed a half a million youngsters on both sides if those bombs had not been dropped. I have no regrets and, under the same circumstances, I would do it again -- and this letter is not confidential.
Sincerely yours,
Harry S. Truman
Task
Your task will be to defend the position of supporting or criticizing the U.S. decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagaski. We will be researching information from others around the world to help you support your viewpoint during our debate in class. You may not agree with the viewpoint you have been assigned, but the goal of this assignment is to help you understand both sides of the argument. As well as help you develop debating and discussion skills for later on in your life.
Students will:
1. Be assigned a viewpoint about the dropping of atomic bombs
2. Research viewpoints to defend their position
3. Complete a graphic chart to help defend your position
4. Discuss arguments for your decision with group members
5. Defend your position in a class debate
Process
Every student will:
- Research in the computer lab or on iPads individually and as small groups
- turn in a graphic organizer with research the research they have found
- brainstorm reasons to support their decision
- present their viewpoint in a small group discussion
- Participate in a classroom discussion about the atomic bomb
- Write a brief essay on their findings and viewpoints about the topic
Find your viewpoint below and use the links to help you complete the tasks.
I am for the dropping of the atomic bomb:
http://www.authentichistory.com/1939-1945/1-war/4-Pacific/4-abombdecision/2-support/
http://nationalinterest.org/feature/no-other-choice-why-truman-dropped-the-atomic-bomb-japan-13504
http://www.ushistory.org/us/51g.asp
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-the-u-s-have-dropped-the-atomic-bomb
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/debate/index.asp?article=0514
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/30/books/did-we-need-to-drop-it.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/30/books/did-we-need-to-drop-it.html?pagewanted=all
https://mises.org/library/harry-truman-and-atomic-bomb
I am against dropping the atomic bomb:
http://www.authentichistory.com/1939-1945/1-war/4-Pacific/4-abombdecision/3-against/
http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/upfront/debate/index.asp?article=0514
http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-the-u-s-have-dropped-the-atomic-bomb
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/30/books/did-we-need-to-drop-it.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/07/30/books/did-we-need-to-drop-it.html?pagewanted=all
DON'T FORGET!!! As you research your topic you need to be filling in your graphic organizers.
Once you have finished researching and completing your graphic organizers you will be participating in a small group discussion with students who have the same views as you. This will take about 15 minutes. As you do this you will have teacher-guided topics to discuss and review.
After the small group discussion you will then participate in a classroom discussion about the topic. You will have the opportunity to present your viewpoint and listen to the points of others to see how they may view a topic.
The final activity of this will be to write a brief 3 paragraph essay describing your findings.
Evaluation
Evaluation will come through your completion of the graphic organizer, group participation, and the 3 paragraph essay.
Graphic Organizer- 100 points
Group Discussion- 100 points
3 Paragraph Essay- 100 points--- This will be graded by a rubric.
Conclusion
In this first testing ground of the atomic bomb I have seen the most terrible and frightening desolation in four years of war. It makes a blitzed Pacific island seem like an Eden. The damage is far greater than photographs can show. Wilfred Burchett