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  4. Was Truman's Decision to Drop the Bomb, To End the War in the Pacific, Justified or Not?

Was Truman's Decision to Drop the Bomb, To End the War in the Pacific, Justified or Not?

Lesson Author
Ohmart, Nancy
Course(s)
American History
Required Time Frame
3-4 class periods
Subject(s)
Atomic Bomb
World War II
Grade Level(s)
9
10
11
12
Lesson Abstract
Students will analysis and evaluate primary documents, videos, excerpts from newspapers and books, and then in groups will create a persuasive essay supporting their point of view, including quotations from the provided sources.
Description
  • Students will watch videos, view photographs, read primary documents, and write a consenting or dissenting view through a persuasive essay.  They will then participate in an open debate through a practice called, “Tag you are it.” Cross-curricular participation could occur with the English teacher who will grade their essay and the Speech teacher who will grade their debate participation.
  • Introduction:  Over the last 50 years tremendous controversy has arisen over the United States and President Harry S. Truman’s decision to use and drop the bomb on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. It is important to remember, that the final, ultimate decision rested solely in the hands of our Commander-in-Chief, President Truman. Both points of conflicting view argue over the necessity of ending the war, just in differing ways, of course, the main difference being the more than 200,000 civilians who died. The documents and videos chosen for this topic are ones describing the arguments for or against the decision to drop the bomb.
Rationale (why are you doing this?)

It is imperative for students to develop their own cognitive understanding through their own reasoning (which can be developed thoroughly through their own research, utilizing primary and secondary sources). By allowing students to research, synthesis and analysis actual sources from an event, such as the US decision to drop the bomb, they can then, on their own, better rationalize the past and apply it to their own present and future. Therefore, students will analysis and evaluate primary documents, videos, excerpts from newspapers and books, and then in groups will create a persuasive essay supporting their point of view, including quotations from the provided sources, AND debate their point of view.

Lesson Objectives - the student will
  • Learn to write a persuasive point of view in essay form, consenting or dissenting, the dropping of the bomb to end the War in the Pacific, including quotes from provided sources (ALTHOUGH students are welcome to do research on their own; if they do, they need to cite all sources correctly). 
  •  Develop a deeper understanding of what led up to the utilization of the bomb by the US through research and document analysis. They will look at documents through a historical perspective (who wrote the document, when, where, why; is it reliable, why or why not). Develop a deeper understanding of the controversy of President Truman’s decision to drop the bomb on Japan to end the War in the Pacific.
  • Contextualize and corroborate with the other students within their group over the documents, photographs, and videos provided, comparing and contrasting points of view, creating a Thesis Statement. 
  • Use their prior knowledge of history to write, including their own view of the moral implications of the decision to drop the bomb and whether it was or was not justified through their evaluating the documents, videos, and pictures provided, reflecting their analysis through their writing.
District, state, or national performance and knowledge standards/goals/skills met
  • 7. Knowledge of the use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps and documents)

           C. Understanding fact, opinion, bias and points of view in sources - Distinguish between fact and opinion and recognize bias and points of view

           G. Supporting a point of view - Identify, research and defend a point of view/position

 

COMMON CORE STANDARDS FOR GRADE 8:

Key Ideas and Details:

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.1
    Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.2
    Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

 

Integration of Knowledge and Ideas:

Secondary materials (book, article, video documentary, etc.) needed
  • Document 1:

Harry S. Truman. Memoirs. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1955. Pages 419-423.

  • Documents 2 and 3:

Frank, Richard B. “Downfall, the end of the Imperial Japanese Empire.” Penguin Group, New York, NY, 1999. Pages 248, 269.

  • Document 4:

www.getty.edu/education/teachers/timeline

 

  • Video One:

      Video about the Manhattan project

     https://www.britannica.com/video/223010/did-you-know-Manhattan-Project

  • Video Two:

      President Truman video reading his announcement to drop the bomb: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3Ib4wTq0jY

  • Video Three:

      This is video about HST giving ultimatum to Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIOqL86jfg4

Primary sources needed (document, photograph, artifact, diary or letter, audio or visual recording, etc.) needed

 

  • DOCUMENT 9: This is Truman’s diary entry for July 17, 1945, describing meeting with Stalin: 
  • DOCUMENT 10: This is Truman’s diary entry about using the bomb:
  • DOCUMENT 7: This is the picture of the three leaders at Potsdam – need to compare to FDR’s one