Atomic Bomb Justified Dbq

The United States and Japan fought in World War II during 1941 to 1945. Japan planned to expand their land and gain resources- which led them to invade China whom was an ally of the U.S. In result, the United States cut off the supply of oil to Japan. On December 7th 1941, Japan’s air force did a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor because that is where their military base is located. Afterwards, the United States declared war on Japan, and joined allies against the axis powers. The United States’ use of the atomic bombs is justified because it saved American lives; Japan was given fair warning, and their aggressions towards the U.S. The atomic bombs on Japan saved many American lives. Document 15 reads: The entire population of Japan is

Document 33 shows a propaganda shows the amount of damage the bombs would do, Japan still did not surrender. Another piece of evidence is document 71: I know the Japanese intimately. The Japanese will not crack. They will not crack morally or psychologically or economically, even when eventual defeat stares them in the face. They will pull in their belts another notch and fight to the bitter end. Only by utter physical destruction or utter exhaustion can they be defeated. That is the difference between the Germans and the Japanese. That is what we are up against in fighting Japan.”(Joseph Grew, former ambassador to Japan, 1945). This document conveys that the Japanese wouldn’t back down after multiple warnings, instead they were getting stronger, and therefore the atomic bombs were justified because they were given fair warnings that they did not take it

Document 7 shows Japanese soldiers killing American soldiers during WWII, it was described the “March of Death.” Document 35 talks about the attack on Pearl Harbor:” The principal political, social, and military objective of the United States in the summer of 1945 was the prompt and complete surrender of Japan. Only the complete destruction of her military power could open way to lasting peace… (Secretary of War Henry Stimson, 1947). This document explains the only way to end the conflict between Japan is to destroy their military base, this shows how dangerous Japan was towards the U.S. Lastly, document 44 shows a Japanese soldier carrying a dead Lady Liberty, whom is a patriotic symbol of the U.S. This image shows how big of a threat and danger Japan is- it also shows how important it is to bring Japan down. The atomic bombs are justified because of Japan’s aggressions towards U.S. The United States’ use of atomic bombs on Japan is justifiable because it saved thousands of American lives; the Japanese were given fair warning, and their aggressions towards the U.S. The deadly bombing on Japan saved the lives of many in America, prevented them from attacking the U.S like the one on Pearl Harbor, and it brought a sense of peace to the U.S. It is significant to the understanding of WWII because the events of the atomic bombs were the end of