Preview

Atomic Bomb DBQ

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
757 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Atomic Bomb DBQ
The United States dropping on atomic bomb on Hiroshima was one of the most controversial topics of 1945. Many believe that the United States decision to drop this atomic bomb on Hiroshima, was a diplomatic measure intended to scare the Soviet Union after the Second World War; however, this is untrue. The United States decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima was done entirely to scare the Japanese army, and force them to surrender. The United States choice to drop the atomic bomb, strictly for the Japanese to surrender, can be seen in Document A. In this article, Secretary of War Henry Lewis Stimson writes that he wanted a quick way for this war to end, and without any deaths. The only way he saw fitting was for the United States to drop the atomic bomb. Though it was very violent, it was effective, and the Japanese war was put to an end. The purpose of this …show more content…
The next document that supports the claim that the United States dropped the atomic bomb strictly for the Japanese to surrender, is Document B. In this document, Eugene Sledge discusses his experience with a Japanese soldier. He says that the Japanese fighters followed the “Bushido” caught, which made them fight viciously, and encouraged them to die with honor. Unlike wars in the past, the United States encouraged American …show more content…
Many Americans argued that the use of the atomic bomb could cause problems with our allies and enemies. If the bomb got in the wrong hands, people would be at danger. This is similar to how Kim Jong-un is consistently threatening the United States with an atomic bomb attack. One could argue that the use of the atomic bomb was a way for the United States to intimidate the Soviet Union, and show how powerful we are. However, it is clear that the United States bombed Hiroshima, to make them

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Truman, as he saw the attack of okinawa in 1944 witnessed how the Japanese would not surrender, they had to capture all 100,000 Japanese soldiers on the island (peace and war book page 152 by Ben Walsh). This lead to the US dropping almost 2000 tons of incendiary grenade from B 29 planes which ensured the US a victory for Truman. Although the Japanese were losing the pacific war, the fire bombs failed to persuade Japan to surrender which made Harry Truman’s decision to drop the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. From the information given to Harry Truman of how the Japanese were not willing to surrender, dropping of the atomic bomb was justified as he did it in order to shorten the agony of war and to save American lives. Based on the choices given, Truman had to take the least costly option which was to use this bomb. Furthermore, the bomb was an approach to end Japanese brutality on the asian countries they have colonized. In retrospect, many historians have criticized him as the Japanese were rumoured to be ready to surrender prior to the use of the Atomic…

    • 1582 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the article, Ending The War Against Japan: Science, Morality And The Atomic Bomb, the author provides information on the war in the Pacific which involved the United States and Japan. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor the United States entered the second World War in 1941. United States gained control of Okinawa in 1945 which meant that the U.S had control, in the months of May through August there were major air attacks on Japan, the Manhattan Project and the two atomic bombs the United States dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were part of the choice out of the many options that might have been given to President Truman and Secretary of War, Henry Stimson. They felt that dropping the atomic bomb was the best way to get the Japanese to give an unconditional surrender.…

    • 629 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    President Truman decided to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because the Japanese just did not surrender. However, it was the Japanese military leaders that did not want to surrender which led to the bombing on Hiroshima. The president asked the Japanese the first time to surrender by August 3rd and they did not and because of this being a war there is no sympathy. I believe that because of them not surrendering there is no other option. This war consisted of many people dying and there is no option but to surrender or get attacked. Japan if had the opportunity to attack, they would attack and this is true because of the constant resistance they have within the war.…

    • 234 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Some people also believe that dropping the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not just to stop the war between Japan and the U.S but, that it was also intimidate Russia. During World War two Russia had not put much thought or really focused on the building of any nuclear weapons up until around 1939. Even then the Russian scientists had not put much effort into it like the Americans had with the Manhattan Project. After the Germans invaded Russia their nuclear program became almost non-existent because most of the scientist as well as other workers in those departments were put into other jobs that were viewed as more important. During this time the Russian scientists had been working on experiments that German scientist had conducted trying to produce a chain reaction from nuclear fission.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    DBQ Atomic Bomb

    • 639 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In August of 1945, the United States launched two atomic bombs on Japan; the first, in Hiroshima on August 6, and the second in Nagasaki a few days later. Despite the obvious diplomatic advantage to implementing one of the most intimidating weapons of that time, the United States’ tactics and goals behind dropping the atomic bombs were purely military oriented; the political benefit was merely an added bonus. The atomic bomb was necessary due to the Japanese’s refusal to surrender and the hundreds of thousands of lives at stake.…

    • 639 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    On August 6th, 1945, the United States dropped the first ever Atomic weapon on Hiroshima, Japan. 140,000 people lost their lives, most of which were civilians. President Truman was in charge of this major decision, and he made the correct choice. The alternative solutions were much too costly for the United States, both in expenses and American casualties. Another reason Truman’s decision is justified was due to the declination of the fair ultimatum recieved by Japan. Also it was important to the well being of the world to keep the Soviets out of Japan. Dropping the Atomic Bomb was the most reliable and definite way to end the war.…

    • 498 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan in August of 1945 was made by a complex group of technological, political and military influences. History has it that the bombs were dropped in order to save American lives by avoiding the invasion of Japanese homelands, at least, that was what President Truman told the American public at the time. “For years, this simple view has been challenged by a seemingly more sophisticated academic perspective that the bombs were wrongfully used against innocent civilians, did not genuinely factor into the surrender of Japan, and would have better served the war effort as part of a diplomatic “carrot and stick” package.” (Beason 1). Some argue that the first bomb may have been required to achieve Japanese surrender, but the second one was a needless act of barbarism. According to Admiral William D. Leahy, the President’s Chief of Staff, “The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war over Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender…” (Beason 1). However, I have many facts to counteract all of these criticisms and to support President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.…

    • 1290 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Dropping the Atomic Bomb On August 6, 1945, President Harry S. Truman made the decision to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Then on August 9, 1945, Truman ordered a second atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan. These two decisions were based the war timeline, war casualties, the successful completion of atomic bomb testing, the war experience with Japan, and the political conditions related to potential Russian claims on Japan. The atomic bomb decision was primarily driven by the weariness of war. The scientific and humanitarian impacts arguing against the atomic bomb did not come until after the fact and in some cases not until many years later.…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    In WW2, the bomb wasn't the smartest thing America did. As they hurt many innocent Japanese people in the process. If President Harry Truman and the military thought out there plan to end the war. They could've ended it much more peacefully. If America were really wanted to drop the bomb, they should've dropped it on Germany, as they were the next threat during the…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After the United States dropped the bomb, the Japanese surrendered only days later. In the end the bomb was a success which is why President Truman’s decision was precise and accurate…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    On August 6, President Harry Truman plans to drop an atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This bomb is supposed to have a major impact on this city. Tens of thousands of people are estimated to die on impact, and thousands are estimated to die after due to the exposure to radiation. President Truman wants to drop the bomb to end the six year war, however, it has caused a major controversy over the amount of damage it will cause. Some people believe that this amount of destruction is needed to assure the war ends. They believe that Japan is going to attack the United States soon, and because the USA is low on resources, they are more vulnerable for the attack. Others think that we should drop the bomb, Little Man, in a nearby harbor to scare the Japanese. They also think that the atomic bomb is too extreme. The blast of the bomb is supposed to be…

    • 376 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The propaganda taught in grade schools was that the United States dropped the atomic bomb to save American lives and end the war. President Truman and some advisors stated after the war, that somewhere between five hundred thousand to one million American lives would be loss with an invasion of the Japanese homeland (37). So, in an attempt to bring the War in the Pacific to an end they used the atomic bomb. They also justified the use of the atomic bomb by claiming using the bomb would save an untold number of Japanese lives. The information which came from President Truman and his administrative sounded sensible and salved the conscious of America, but was it the truth? In his book, historian J. Samuel Walker provides a step by step analysis of events leading to Truman’s use of the atomic bomb to bring World War II to closure and extensive coverage of the relationship of the United States and the U.S.S.R.…

    • 525 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the summer of 1945 the United States was entering the final stages of World War II. One could assume that ending the war quickly was a priority. President Truman was demanding “unconditional surrender” from Japan. In a statement he released on May 8th, he described unconditional surrender as “Our blows will not cease until the Japanese military and naval forces lay down their arms in unconditional surrender. Just what does the unconditional surrender of the armed forces mean for the Japanese people? It means the end of the war. It means the termination of the influence of the military leaders who have brought Japan to the present brink of disaster.… Unconditional surrender does not mean the extermination or enslavement of the Japanese people. (Alperovitz, Gar (2010-12-29). The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb (p. 39).)” So if the war were to end the Japanese would have to unconditionally surrender, secretary of state James Byrnes said as much, “For instance, in his 1947 book Speaking Frankly, James F. Byrnes declared without qualification: “Had the Japanese Government listened to [Ambassador to Soviet Union] Sato and surrendered unconditionally, it would not have been necessary to drop the atomic bomb. (Alperovitz, p. 34)” The Japanese refused to surrender because of the terms they would be conceding to. They wanted a guarantee that their emperor would be protected and they felt unconditional surrender would put him in jeopardy. “The reality is that as the summer of 1945 progressed, most U.S. leaders fully realized that the only serious condition Japan’s leaders sought was an assurance that the Emperor would not be eliminated. (Alperovitz, p.34)” One could conclude that the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because of Japan’s refusal to unconditionally surrender. There is also belief that the atomic bomb was dropped to intimidate the Soviet Union. As historian Barton Berstein put it, “The combat use…

    • 1235 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The use of the atomic bomb remains controversial to this day. There are academics and policy makers of the time that still disagree on the whether it was justifiable to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They debate if it truly was in the interest of ending the war sooner and with less loss of life. Several issues played together to help form the opinion that Truman acted for more nefarious purposes. Domestic as well as international politics is said to have played a role in the decision of Truman to go ahead with the use of the atomic bomb . Would the Japanese have been willing to surrender without the dropping of the bomb? Some experts believe that because Japanese representatives were talking to the Russians about being…

    • 1794 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Truman Decision

    • 5419 Words
    • 22 Pages

    Some authors, outraged at the determination to use atomic weaponry, have speculated that Truman decision was based upon diplomatic problems concerning the Soviet Union. These critics have argued that Truman used atomic weaponry in order to make the Soviet Union more likely to adhere to an American viewpoint of the post-war world. They also contend that the atomic bomb was used because of its ability to bring about the end of the war before the Soviet Union had a chance to occupy Manchuria. The most critical of these scholars have gone as far as to say that the decision to use the bomb in order to intimidate the Soviet Union was the first step towards the Cold War.…

    • 5419 Words
    • 22 Pages
    Better Essays