The Constitutional Convention of 1789



Dropping the Atomic Bomb

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INTRO TASK PROCESS RESOURCES CONCLUSION EVALUATION

INTRODUCTION

It is 1945 and the war in Europe is over. The United States and the Allied Powers now must focus on ending the war with Japan.

Few military targets are left in Japan as most of her cities have already been bombed continuously. Most Americas fear that the Japanese will never surrender and that an invasion of Japan would be very costly and long lasting. The Japanese are expected to fight until their deaths and that many American lives will be lost needlessly in an invasion even though surrender is inevitable for the Japanese.

Now you must decide whether dropping the atomic bomb is the correct decision for the U.S. It may minimize the loss of American lives. It may persuade the Soviet Union that the U.S. is not a country that they want to provoke further after the war. If you were President, would you drop the bomb?

THE TASK

You need to analyze the provided documents and then make a formal decision on whether or not the bomb should have been dropped. You and your assigned group will need to present your argument in a PowerPoint presentation to the class and must provide valid reasons to support your argument.

THE PROCESS

Step 1:

View the following documents first:

White House Press Release:

Letter from Stimson to Truman:

Petition to the President of the US:

Answer the following questions about each document above in a typed report:

1. Who wrote this document?

2. What is the purpose of this document?

3. What date was this document issued?

4. Why is the name of the city left out?

5. Why does the atomic bomb's power have to be explained?

6. Look at the last paragraph of the second page of the press release. What were Truman's plans for ending the war? Did he accomplish those goals in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Why or why not?

7. On page three, Truman advocates the use of atomic power for world peace. How does he propose to fulfill this goal?

8. What reasons does President Truman use to justify dropping the bomb?

Source:

Step 2:

According to J. Samuel Walker in his book, Prompt and Utter Destruction: Truman and the Use of the Atomic Bomb Against Japan, Truman justified dropping the bomb with five reasons:

• it would end the war successfully at the earliest possible moment

• it justified the effort and expense of building the atomic bombs

• it offered hope of achieving diplomatic gains in the growing rivalry with the Soviet Union

• there were a lack of incentives not to use the weapons

• because of America's hatred of the Japanese and a desire for vengeance

Discuss these five reasons within your group. Using facts and figures to support your answer, can your group find:

• more reasons to justify dropping the bomb?

• reasons not to drop to bomb?

Source:

Include this information in your PowerPoint presentation.

Step 3:

Describe the following in your PowerPoint presentation:

1. Describe the situation in the Pacific in July-August of 1945. Include the positions of Germany, the Allied Forces, and Japan.

2. Describe the arguments of those who believe the bombing was justified and necessary because “millions of lives would have been lost” and the counter argument that the “USA would have won anyway” and that “Japan was ready to surrender.”

3. What killed the most people in Japan: regular bombings or the two atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

4. Make your case either for or against dropping the atomic bomb.

5. Make your case on whether dropping the bomb should be treated as a war crime. State why you think it wasn’t treated as a war crime at the time.

6. Include your analysis of the reasons given in Step 2 of the process.

Source:

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RESOURCES—use this when doing your internet research

Atomic bomb decision:

Hiroshima directory:

Hiroshima Information:

Was it necessary?:

Hiroshima Who’s Who:

US Naval History Museum:

Japanese Empire 1942:

Personal record of a survivor:

Truman as President:

America enters WWII:

Truman Page:

Other resources at mcdonoughtime. under APUSH Assignments

Primary Sources:

Do your own research on: Operation Downfall

CONCLUSION

After this assignment, you will be able to:

• Plan and organize arguments

• Think critically

• Execute a plan of action

• State the sequence of events during World War II

• Draw your own conclusion about the necessity of dropping the bomb

• Research and analyze the issue of the atomic bomb using technology

• Work effectively under time constraints

• Collaborate in teams

• Improve your public speaking and leadership skills

• Take on the role of a given character

• Make decisions about controversial issues

Source:

CREDITS & REFERENCES

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WebQuest Rubric—Assessing the Report and PowerPoint Presentation

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|Criteria |

|Points |

| |

| |

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|20 |

|15 |

|10 |

|5 |

|  |

| |

|Introduction |

|All questions were answered completely and rationales for the answers were clearly stated. |

|All questions were answered completely, but rationales for the all the answers were not clearly stated. |

|Not all questions were answered completely, or greater than 2 rationales for the all answers were not clearly stated. |

|All questions were not answered completely. |

|____ |

| |

|Task |

|All areas of the task were addressed and handled with a high degree of sophistication. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a great deal of |

|thought. |

|At least one area of the task was not addressed. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a great deal of thought. |

|At least two areas of the task were not addressed. The plan followed by the team demonstrated a moderate level of thought. |

|The task is incomplete and/or it is apparent that little effort went into the development of the task. |

|____ |

| |

|Process: Teamwork |

|It is evident that a mutual effort and cohesive unit created the final product. |

|The team worked well together, but could have utilized each other's skills to a better degree. |

|The team had problems working together. Little collaboration occurred. |

|The final product is not the result of a collaborative effort. The group showed no evidence of collaboration. |

|____ |

| |

|Process: Originality |

|The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a high degree of originality. |

|The ideas expressed by the body of work are mostly original. The group may have improved upon a previous idea. |

|The ideas expressed by the body of work demonstrate a low degree of originality. |

|There were no original ideas expressed in this project. |

|  |

| |

|Grammar, Format , and Spelling |

|The final body of work was free of grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. |

|The final body of work had 1 error related to either grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. |

|The final body of work had 3-5 grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. |

|The final body of work had major grammar, spelling, and formatting errors. |

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|  |

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|  |

|Total----> |

|____ |

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