Chase Nagel Mrs. Kilker College U.S. History II April 10, 2024 Atomic Bomb Controversy Yes, Harry Truman should have dropped the atomic bombs. The dropping of the atomic bombs was revenge for what Japan had done during the war. Japan had slyly attacked Pearl Harbor by air strike, therefore, it was fair for America to do the same. Throughout the war, Japan also committed numerous war crimes on surrounding countries.
To begin, these bombings were unjustified based on the moral principles the United States broke. In Document D, readers are told one survivor’s experience the day of the Hiroshima attack and the hysteria the bomb caused. The survivor confirms the dangerous smoke, dust, and debris in the air and the suffering residents went through. These bombs caused pregnant women to birth babies with birth defects, radiation exposure, and an increase in cancer rates in the nation (Counting the Dead). In Document G, the Commander of the U.S. Army Air Force at the time discusses other effects the bombs caused, like hundreds of thousands of deaths, a greater number of wounded
The effects of an atomic bomb are major. As shown in Document 7 displaying images of children and families saddened and injured after the attack, we can get a better sense of just how destructive the bomb was. Towns that were full of innocent children and women were destroyed along with the infrastructure and advancements that the city had made. The destruction caused by the atomic bomb was not justifiable as there were no soldiers there. Document 6 supports this when it says “ Hiroshima was no longer a city but a burned-over prairie.
In the twentieth century, the United States dropped two atomic bombs, which were the most powerful weapons at that time, on Japan. It happened on August 6 and August 9, 1945. The atomic bombs killed 226,000 Japanese and ended the war. However, America should not have dropped the atomic bombs for two reasons. First, it was not necessary to drop the bomb to win the war militarily or to get the Japanese to surrender.
On the date August 6, 1945, the world's first nuclear weapon harnessed in battle was successfully used against the Japanese on a prospering city called Hiroshima. The bomb was so powerful, that it had over 20,000 pounds of TNT, which was enough to wipe out about 45,000 casualties instantly, and causing the death of more than 19,000 within four months of the date of the dropping. In addition, about 14,000 were found to be missing. The American decision was to drop the bomb, which was called the "Little Boy." "While Japan was still trying to comprehend this devastation three days later, the United States struck again, this time, on Nagasaki".
We, the United States, entered this war on December 7, 1941, 4 years ago. Since then, we have been through a lot together as a country. The United States army defended our values of freedom and liberty in the Pacific, halting the progress of the Japanese at Iwo Jima. Our brave soldiers defended our values of democracy and equality at Stalingrad, ending the Nazi rampage in Europe. Our war strategy as part of the Allied forces so far was to target the Communist forces in Europe.
August 6, 1945 American Bomber B-29 dropped the atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan, changing the lives of both Americans and Japanese forever. To this day the question still remains, how should we remember the dropping of the atomic bomb? America was right to drop the atomic bomb, and by doing so it end a major world conflict. Without the atomic bomb, the war could have dragged on for many more years, causing more innocent people to die, In “Thank God for the Atomic Bomb” a soldier said, “On Okinawa, only a few weeks before Hiroshima, 123,000 Japanese and Americans killed each other. War is immortal.
In August 1945, during the final stage of the Second World War, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The two bombings, which killed at least 129,000 people, remain the only use of nuclear weapons for warfare in history. After this horrific event, other super power countries were struck in fear of what the United States were capable of so they decided to have their own. Therefore eventually each power country had their own nuclear weapon. Its pretty much like a Mexican standoff.
"Nobody actually wants to cause the destruction we caused, but it was through a necessity rather than a wanton type of destruction. It was something that had to be done…” was said by Sergeant Robert H. Shumard, the assistant flight engineer of the Enola Gay. Shumard dropped the bomb Little Boy, so he was able to see the damage done to the city of Hiroshima. When he says this, he is meaning that they did not want to destroy the city or cause the deaths of so many innocent people, they thought it was something that had to be done in ending the war. President Truman was not in office for very long before he had to make a huge decision for the nation.
President Harry S. Truman on August 6, 1945 released a statement in regard to America’s use of the atomic bomb at Hiroshima, Japan. Seventeen years later President John F. Kennedy gave a speech regarding the Cuban missile crisis. Both events were very high-pressure situations for the United States and the Presidents that were in office at the time. On August 6th 1945, President Truman authorized the use of the first even made atomic bomb to strike at Japan, after the bomb was dropped, President Truman released a statement addressing the country.
There is high controversy over whether or not it was acceptable for the United States to use the atomic bomb, in my opinion I feel as though it was our right to use it, but not in this situation. Many people would agree or disagree with this statement, and yet some would still have other opinions. There is no right or wrong opinion, but some have better intentions than others. Was it acceptable for the United States to use the atomic bomb? I believe that it was, but maybe the world just wasn’t ready for something that held that much power.
They have not forgotten. Seventy two years ago, President Harry Truman deemed the use of atomic bombs imperative to the survival of the United States. In just two days, thousands of Japanese people, innocents, lost their lives and countless more would be affected in the radioactive aftermath. It was justified as a necessary evil to bring the World War II to its end.
According to the organization American-Historama, more than 42,000 U.S. military and civilian personnel, 242 battleships and 156 aircrafts, were involved in the atomic bomb testing program at Bikini Atoll. As shown, the atomic bomb testing was very important for United States. U.S and it happened right after World War 2. They claimed that they needed to test the atomic bomb to have peace and security around the world, and they also wanted to know what would happen when the atom bomb was dropped. Also, the reason why Bikini was the testing location was because it met criterias for the U.S. military, and some examples of these criterias is the size of the lagoon, away from whales and other humans.
Up to 40,000 feet buildings collapsed, and homes were destroyed up to ½ of a mile of both towns. The total number of houses that were there before the atomic explosion was 50,000, and the total houses and buildings that were destroyed were 19,587, but 30,413 were undamaged. The souls of people who died because of the bomb in Nagasaki 135,000 and the total number of people who died in Hiroshima was 64,000. People died into dust with the nuclear chemicals that were impossible to survive if you were too close to the bomb. People who survived still have nuclear acid in their bodies that can give them numerous amounts of cancer when they grow up if they survived still in their young age.
According to U.S. estimated, 60,000 to 70,000 people were killed by the bomb, 140,000 were injured many more were made homeless as a result of the bomb and some of them were missing. A very dangerous radiation reached over 100,000 kilometers. In the blast, thousands of people died instantly. The city is completely destroyed, there are 90,000 buildings and 60,000 of them were completely destroyed by the explosion. In all, approximately 33% or ⅓ of Hiroshima is completely destroyed.
