"Who Done It"

Reilly Brown:
-"Why it was justified to drop the bomb"

Lauren Smith:
-works cited
-pictures and videos with captions
-"Why the US was justified in dropping the atomic bomb"
-abstract
-thesis

Works cited

Father Johannes Siemes (1996-2003). The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima. Retrieved from                                      

http://www.wtj.com/archives/hiroshima.htm

Philip Levine (1999-2000). A Photo Essay on the Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Retrieved from http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/g_l/levine/bombing.htm

Hiroshima

This picture shows the mushroom cloud that was formed after the atomic bomb exploded in Hiroshima.

Newspaper article

This newspaper article states how President Truman kept the testing of atomic bombs a secret. It also talks about the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Potsdam declaration

This is a picture of the Potsdam declaration. The Potsdam declaration was an effort that President Truman made to get the Japanese to surrender before dropping atomic bombs.

Why It Was Justified to Drop the Bomb



 Riley Brown

Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki

 Justification of the Atom Bomb Dropped on Japan



Iwo Jima
Mortar Team

           

The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were justified because in the end, it saved lives on both sides, ended the war sooner, and kept the Russians from taking over Japan. It saved many lives on both sides because we did not have to launch a full scale invasion of Japan. Huge casualties were estimated on both sides if we had.

            The Potsdam Proclamation that the United Nations agreed upon forced the Japanese to surrender unconditionally or face total destruction (Omaha World Herald | November, 1987 | Davis). The Atomic bomb kept the Japanese from facing total destruction even though it did completely destroy two of their cities. The campaign that would have happened in Japan if we had not dropped the bombs would have been the one of, if not the bloodiest theater. The estimations of casualties were about one million for Allied troops and in the millions for the Japanese. In Japan, the government was training its civilians to fight. The United States would have had to have fought every person, military and civilian, in Japan for total victory. The Japanese were fighting until nearly the last man was dead. Okinawa and Iwo Jima proved that. Fighting on the Japanese homeland changes things, they would fight until every last one of them was dead.

            Russia was a huge threat. If they had taken Japan the Unites States would have been in trouble. The USSR actually captured a few islands in northern Japan. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki kept them from advancing any further. Stalin had broken the neutrality pact that existed between the USSR and Japan in the occupation of areas of East Asia previously taken by Japan. The Soviet Union kept fighting to take Japanese territory even after we dropped the bomb. The bomb was an influencing power over why the Russians decided to stop.

            The bombings showed the United States as a world superpower. We have a weapon with major capabilities and used it to almost show our power off to the world. Let them know that we are not to be messed with. Of all the options available, the smallest total loss of life would be to use the Atom bomb (Meeks, 2011). Truman and all the people up top believed that.



Newspaper article

This news article published August 7, 1945, announces that the first atomic bomb was dropped on Japan.

After effects of the atomic bomb

This photograph depicts the astonishingly destructive effects the atomic bomb had on Hiroshima itself.

Letter from Einstein

Einstein stating he will help the US develop an atomic bomb.

Manhattan project

The tower that dropped the atomic bomb at the manhattan project.

Manhattan project document

This is the confidential document about the trinity test done with an atomic bomb nicknamed the manhattan project.

atomic bomb

A picture of one of the bombs that was dropped and a note describing its size.

Victim of the atomic bomb

This picture shows the severe injuries that the atomic bomb did to those who managed to survive.

Why the US was justified in dropping the atomic bomb

On August 6 and August 9, 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. After Japan refused to surrender when the US sent them a declaration asking them to or to face mass destruction, the President had to go to desperate measures to get Japan to finally surrender. There are many reasons why the United States felt it was necessary to do such a destructive thing as dropping an atomic bomb. The United States was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because they bombed Pearl Harbor and the United States wanted to end the war.

            One reason why the United States felt it necessary to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is because they bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. After establishing a truce with the United States Japan went ahead and surprise bombed Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941 2,335 service men and 68 civilians were killed in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 1,178 people were wounded. The day after President Roosevelt asked congress to declare war on Japan. Being that Japan betrayed the United States, this is one of the reasons why President Truman decided to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

            Another reason why President Truman dropped atomic bombs on Japan is because he wanted to make the United States appear strong and powerful. By dropping atomic bombs it shows how advanced the United States’ weapons are and that we will not hesitate to use them when necessary. Other countries began to see the United States as a country to look out for and not to mess with. No one knows exactly how many atomic bombs the US has in their possession and other countries became scared to find out.

            President Truman believed that dropping atomic bombs on Japan would lead to Japan’s surrender, he was right. By dropping the atomic bombs, Japan was forced into surrendering. This put an easy end to the war for the US, but a devastating end to the war for Japan. If the United States had not bombed Japan the war would have gone on for several more years or until another country developed a weapon as powerful as the atomic bomb and used it. President Truman was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Japan because of those reasons.

This video shows The explosion of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.

Abstract

On July 26,1945 the United states sent Japan the potsham declaration. This declaration was sent to warn Japan to surrender or face destruction. On August 6 and August 9, 1945 the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan. The first bomb "Little Man" was dropped on the city of Hiroshima instantly killing over 70,000 people. 60% of Hiroshima's population was wiped out. Since Japan still refused to surrender, three days later the US dropped another atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki. This bomb was nicknamed "Fat Man" and instantly killed over 20,000 people. Finally, on August 10, 1945 Japan offers to surrender making it an official surrender on August 14, 1945.

Thesis

The United States was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the US wanted Japan to surrender and end the war.