The Last Writing Assignment of the Year!

Hiroshima
On August 6, 1945, United States military forces dropped the first atomic bomb used in
combat on Hiroshima, Japan. The bomb, nicknamed "Little Boy," destroyed extensive
areas of the city. Experts estimate the immediate human casualties at 100,000 to 140,000
people. Three days later, on August 9, 1945, the U.S. military dropped another atomic
bomb, "Fat Man," on Nagasaki, Japan. The world had officially and brutally entered the
"Atomic Age.

The "Atomic Age" evolved in stages. In the United States, scientists first began
exploring the possibilities of atomic weaponry through the Manhattan Project, a top-
secret government research project that began in the late 1930s. As World War II
progressed, the urgency to develop an atomic bomb--especially before the Germans did--
intensified. When President Franklin Roosevelt died suddenly in April 1945, Vice-
President Harry Truman took over the White House and quickly felt pressure to find an
end to the long war. The atomic bomb offered one quick, yet complicated, solution. The
decision to drop the bomb on a weakening Japan was not without controversy. Truman
pressed forward with the decision based on his belief that it would quickly end the war
and save the lives of thousands of American troops.

Assignment
Write a 2-3 page paper that explains whether President Truman made the correct or
incorrect decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan to end WWII.

Ideas to Keep in Mind – Refer to the packet of readings!

- Actions of Japan prior to 1945 (Pearl Harbor)
- Why did Truman decide to drop the bomb?
- Had proper warning been given to the Japanese?
- How many lives were saved or lost with the use of these bombs?
- What were the targets of the two bombs?
- Should this type of destructive force ever be used?
- President Truman’s letter about dropping the bomb
- Howard Zinn’s “The Bombs of August” article
- Barefoot Gen film

Value: 50 points

Due Date: Monday, June 1st

**No late papers will be accepted**