Name ______Page # ______

Directions: This activity will take you on a journey from the creation to the use of the atomic bomb. Read the directions for each section before answering the questions.

PART A - Read pages 789-790 in the textbook to answer the following questions.

  1. What was the Manhattan Project?

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  1. Who were the two key scientists in the development of the atomic bomb?

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  1. When and where was the first test of the atomic bomb?

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  1. How is the impact of the bomb described?

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Hiroshima and Nagasaki

  1. When was the first atomic bomb dropped over Hiroshima?

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  1. What as the name of the plane/bomber that dropped the bomb? What was the nickname of the first atomic bomb?

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  1. Where was the second bomb dropped 3 days later? What was the nickname of this bomb?

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  1. About how many Japanese citizens were either killed from the impact or radiation from these bombs?

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  1. What did the Japanese do after the bombs were dropped?

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PART B - Directions: View and analyze the following images.

1.  What do you see in the two images?

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2.  How do they make you feel? Do not give a one-word answer. Expand on your thoughts.

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3.  Describe the effects of the bombing as seen in these photographs.

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In some cases, the heat of the bomb vaporized objects including human beings leaving a shadow behind. This is an image of a shadow of a person who was vaporized by the blast.

4.  What do you see in the image?

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5.  How does this make you feel? Do not give a one-word answer. Expand on your thoughts.

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6.  Describe the effects of the bombing as seen in this photograph.

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7.  What do you see in the image?

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8.  How does this make you feel? Do not give a one-word answer. Expand on your thoughts.

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9.  Describe the effects of the bombing as seen in this photograph.

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10.  What do you see in the image?

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11.  How does this make you feel? Do not give a one-word answer. Expand on your thoughts.

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12.  Describe the effects of the bombing as seen in this photograph.

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PART C

Read/view the documents in and answer the question(s) after each. Some of these documents have been edited for the purpose of this exercise. As you think about each document, take into account both the source and any point of view that may be presented in it.

Historical Context: The U.S. decision to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 has generated much controversy over the years. Some argue that the bombing was necessary to end World War II, while others believe that more than 200,000 civilians died in vain.

PART C - SHORT ANSWER

The documents below relate to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Examine each document carefully and then answer the question or questions that follow.

Document 1

"I had then set up a committee of top men and had asked them to study with great care the implications the new weapons might have for us. It was their recommendation that the bomb be used against the enemy as soon as it could be done. They recommended further that it should be used without specific warning... I had realized, of course, that an atomic bomb explosion would inflict damage and casualties beyond imagination. On the other hand, the scientific advisors of the committee reported... that no technical demonstration they might propose, such as over a deserted island, would be likely to bring the war to an end. It had to be used against an enemy target. The final decision of where and when to use the atomic bomb was up to me. Let there be no mistake about it. I regarded the bomb as a military weapon and never doubted it should be used."

—President Harry S. Truman

Why did President Truman feel that the atomic bomb had to be used against enemy targets?

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Document 2

"The use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender...

"In being the first to use it, we . . . adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make war in that fashion, and wars cannot be won by destroying women and children."

—Admiral William E. Leahy, President Truman's Chief of Staff, in his memoirs "I Was There"

Why did Admiral Leahy feel the use of the atomic bomb on Japan was unnecessary?

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Why did Admiral Leahy think the use of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was ethically wrong?

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Document 3

"The view where a moment before all had been so bright and sunny was now dark and hazy... What had happened? All over the right side of my body I was bleeding... My private nurse set about examining my wounds without speaking a word. No one spoke... Why was everyone so quiet? The heat finally became too intense to endure... Those who could, fled; those who could not perished...

Hiroshima was no longer a city but a burned-over prairie. To the east and to the west everything was flattened. The distant mountains seemed nearer than I could ever remember... How small Hiroshima was with its houses gone."

-  Michihiko Hachiya, Hiroshima Diary: The Journal of a Japanese Physician August 6 - September 30, 1945

What observations did the doctor make about the effects of the bombing on his city?

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PART – D

Directions: Read the following about the use of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Be sure to answer the questions after you read.

Damage due to Radiation

The explosion instantly released a tremendous amount of initial radiation within 2 km of the hypocenter. Given that half of those who receive 4 grays of radiation die, it is assumed that at least half of the people who were in the open within 1 km of the hypocenter died mainly from the initial radiation.

Acute radiation effects extended for 4 months after the bombing, and these disorders appeared in survivors exposed close to the hypocenter and the characteristic radiation-sickness symptoms included destruction of cells and hematopoietic organs, disorders in internal organs, lowering of immune function, loss of hair.

The tremendous fire that burned downtown caused intense firestorms and whirlwinds. Within 20 to 30 minutes, a heavy black rain began falling in areas to the northwest. This rain contained large amounts of radioactive soot and dust, thus contaminating areas far from the hypocenter. It is said that fish died in ponds and rivers, and people who drank well water suffered from diarrhea for about 3 months.
After the explosion, high levels of residual radiation remained on the ground for an extended period. Many who did not directly experience the bomb were affected.

1.What happened to people with in 1 km who were out in the open during the blast?

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2. What effects did the radiation have 4 months after the blast? Give 3 examples.

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3. How did the radiation spread to people further away from the blast? What happened to rivers and wells?

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The Painful Aftereffects

Radiation caused myriad disorders for decades. Even today, after more than fifty years, the full range of effects of radiation taken into the body has yet to be clarified. Many survivors continue to suffer from those effects.

Beginning in early 1946, scar tissue covering apparently healed burns began to swell and grow abnormally into mounds of thick, twisted flesh called keloids. Keloids occurred in 50 to 60% of people who suffered burns directly from the heat ray within a radius of 2 kilometers from the hypocenter. These keloids were a source of great physical and emotional pain for the survivors.

1.Are the full effects of the blast on people’s health known yet today? About how many years has it been?

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2. What has happened to victims who suffered burns from the blast?

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3. What other long-term problems has the bomb caused? Give at least 3 examples. ______

PART E

Directions: Turn to page 791 in the textbook. Read the Point and Counterpoint section at the top of the page. Complete the chart and answer the following question.

Main arguments FOR dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. / Main arguments AGAINST dropping the atomic bomb on Japan.

Do you think the United States was justified in using the bomb against the Japanese? Why or why not? Provide at least 3 reasons to support your argument.

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Part F

Directions: Knowing all of the information you know now, write a letter to President Truman, supporting or opposing the actions of dropping two atomic bombs over Japan. Take the role of a concerned U.S. citizen. Your letter should include at least three reasons for support and should be at least two good paragraphs long (4-6 sentences a paragraph). HINT – PART E should help you with your points.