| Briefing folder
1. Trumans decision at Potsdam 2. Facts listing 3. Chart on for and against 4. Conditions on home front in Japan 5. Target Committee Recommendations 6. List of documents & cover memo to President *more original documents can be found at the Atomic Bomb Decision web site |
Knowledge
1. Summerize basic information on the actual bombings.
Attitude
1. Develop critical sensitivities, such as empathy and skepticism regarding attitudes, values, and behaviors of people in different historical contexts.
Analysis of theme
Transfer knowledge of their "leadership role" to that of how the United States assumed a leadership role after World War II and their role as a lead into the cold war.
Teacher Will:
Greet Students at the door addressing them as Mr/Madame President using their first or last name. Hand them a "briefing folder". On each desk they will find a dot (these can be placed on the desk by the teacher. I use labeling dots) When they ask, explain the climate during the cold war and that the dot represents the "button" that the president pushed. They will have to make the same decision. Be very serious and solemn about this responsibility. You may have the Presidential seal on the overhead and you may also play "Hail to the Chief" either as they are entering the room or as class begins. Make them stand and take "Oath of Office" usually issued by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Remind them that they may not influence others. This is an individual assignment. (Leadership is a lonely path) Oath of Office
Leadership role of the us after World War II.
At the end of the period you are going to decide whether or not you would have dropped the bomb. What is in our country's best interest? Are there consequences to the actions that are worse than what we experiencing now? What do you need to know before the bomb is dropped? We are using this period as a fact finding time so we can make our decision.
Pass out Chart on For or Against
The war begins in Europe September 1, 1939. There is a build up to war. RASP then as each country declares war the nature of the war changes. Hitler believes that Great Britain will not join the war. They have led him to believe that they wish to remain isolated and will continue to appease him. Just give him the candy and he will stop. All he wants is to join together the Germanic peoples and protect his country. When war is declared it takes Great Britain a couple of months to actually get troops to Europe. They have to train their troops using broom handles because they have disarmed so far. But Great Britain joins the war. After Poland and the division of Poland by Hitler and Stalin , the initial push is through Belgium. Then the war stalls and it looks like WWI all over again. But we have new technology and strategies. Hitler bombs England for 18 months a type of attrition but then turns to attack Russia. He thinks that Stalin is really his biggest threat. They left in the spring thinking that is would only take 6- 9 weeks. Didn't take winter gear. The Russians are deserted by Stalin and many civilians are killed. Again they scorch the earth. Finally the worst winter in 100 years begins, stalling the Blitzkrieg attack and allowing the elements to take over. After many deaths, Hitler's troops retreat. Hitler says kill them all because of their failure to the Fatherland. At about the same time Rommel, Hitler's desert fox, is being defeated in North Africa and the allies are jumping on the soft under belly of Italy. At the same time the war in Western Europe is stalling. Note D-Day is June 6, 1944 a year before the war in Europe is over. It take the allies about 11 months to retake Europe. Their advanced stalled several places but actually losing battles in the last offensive attack of the Germans in the Battle of the Bulge, at the height of winter. As the French, British and Americans attacked from the west, Russian or USSR, troops attacked from the east. It was apparent to the upper echelons of the allies that Stalin intended to occupy any territory that his armies held after the war. He needed these as buffer zones from the rest of Europe and also to incorporate the Slavs into his USSR. Hitler commits suicide April 30, 1945 and the surrender of Germany occurs May 6, 1945. This war in Europe and North Africa against Italy and Germany has a specific pattern. There is a build up to the war in the Pacific as well. The United States joins the war after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. "A day ," according to President Roosevelt, " that will live in infamy." If something is bad famous it is infamous. But contrary to many versions of this attack this attack was a long time coming.First let me show you a little about Japanese culture. You need to understand that there are many perspectives to these events. How do the Japanese interpret the war? What made us think that the Japanese would fight against us?
Kendama Overhead (2)
You may have seen one before. (Need picture or overhead of game in folder)
Teacher discussion or can be printed an put in briefing folder.
The Japanese had already occupied Manchuria. They, because Vichy France was under their allies, the Nazi Germans, control, occupied all of Indo-China. The United States imposed economic sanctions against the Japanese and refused to trade and actually began a blockade against them, limiting their oil supplies. Oil supplies crucial to the Japanese expansionism that began during the Meiji Restoration and Industrialization period. There had already been at least 10 different attempts by the Japanese to resolve the dispute with the United States through diplomacy. Finally in the summer of 1941, remember the war in Europe has been going on for almost 2 years, a new Prime Minister takes over in Japan. Hadjka Tojo. He was allied with the Japanese military who quickly devised a plan to attack the United States. They thought the United States would join the war but that they could quickly, defeat the United States and control the Pacific. US Invasion Plans.
Put overhead on about lead up to Pearl Harbor.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor the Japanese take a circle of islands and hope to move onto Australia. The United States has small encouters with the Japanese navy and has the good luck to surprise them at Midway. This is the middle of the war, it is also the turning point of the war. After the defeat of the Japanese at this point they continue to retreat until finally they have retreated back to their own island with the allied navy sitting on Okinawa waiting for the signal to attack Japan. Because of the fierce fighting of the Japanese, we lost 100,000 men, because of their philosophy of persistence and concentration, the kamikaze fighter, Divine Wind, the allied leaders including Truman felt that the Japanese would not surrender and the battle for Japan would be a bloody battle. He decided to drop the bomb. It is not that simple. This Manhatten Project had been initiated several years before because we thought that the Germans were close to unleasing the power of the atom.
Show
1. overhead of the progression of the development
of the bomb.
2. Overhead of Crew of the Enola Gay.
3. View details
of the bomb and explainations of fusion and fission plus developmental
details
also has here alternatives to dropping the
bomb
4. View development
of the bomb
5. Chicago Questions
6. Show film "Truman's decision to drop the bomb" 20 minutes long
7. Details about the following topics
Have them decide whether or not they would drop the bomb. Don't influence others. Leadership is a lonely spot sometimes. Justify your decision. Turn in your notes and your decision that will be on the chart. You can take notes on the back of the chart or turn in any other notes you want to staple to the chart.FOREWORD INTRODUCTION MANHATTAN PROJECT INVESTIGATING GROUP PROPAGANDA SUMMARY OF DAMAGES AND INJURIES MAIN CONCLUSIONS SELECTION OF THE TARGET DESCRIPTION OF THE CITIES BEFORE THE BOMBINGS Hiroshima Nagasaki THE ATTACKS Hiroshima Nagasaki GENERAL COMPARISON OF HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE ATOMIC EXPLOSIONS TOTAL CASUALTIES NATURE OF AN ATOMIC EXPLOSION CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE ATOMIC BOMBS CALCULATIONS OF THE PEAK PRESSURE OF THE BLAST WAVE LONG RANGE BLAST DAMAGE GROUND SHOCK SHIELDING, OR SCREENING, FROM THE BLAST FLASH BURN CHARACTERISTICS OF INJURIES TO PERSONS BURNS MECHANICAL INJURIES BLAST INJURIES RADIATION INJURIES SHIELDING FROM RADIATION EFFECTS OF THE ATOMIC BOMBINGS ON THE INHABITANTS OF THE CITIES Eye Witness Account of by Father John A. Siemes, professor of modern philosphy at Tokyo's Catholic University
Evaluation
100 Chart will have data on for and against. Facts will be list and impact will reflect analysis of data. Justification will include supporting information and will contain elements of logic. Long term results will reflect world wide impact and possible inferences to the cold war and an ongoing leadership role of the United States.
80 Chart will have limited data on for and against. Facts are incomplete or brief . Impact will not be correlate with facts. Justification will correlate with chart but have few elements of logic. Long term results will be vague or incomplete.
60 Chart will have only one side complete. There will be few or no facts. Impact will be illogical. Justification will be trite "less people will die". "Too many Japanese will die" or "I just don't believe in killing other people". Long term results will be incomplete or illogical.
Essay Grading criteria
Students may then be asked to write an essay about whether or not the
bomb should have been dropped in the way it was dropped. Extend this
further by giving an overview of war crimes after the study of the Holocaust
then ask students to consider whether or not the dropping of the bomb may
have also been considered a war crime.
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