Overview                                                       

Objectives

Students will:

·        Understand the history and the dilemma surrounding the decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Recommended time frame

Two 45-minute class periods

Grade level

American History (11^th grade)

Curriculum fit

      American History or World History

Materials

·        Transparencies displaying the pictures from the Library of Congress (Hiroshima, FDR-Oppenheimer Letter, Stalin Memo on opening a 2^nd war front, Yalta Conference, Berlin Conference, Iwo Jima)

·        LCD Projector

·        Einstein’s Correspondence with Truman

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study
_collections/bomb/ferrell_book/ferrell_book_chap14.htm

·        Stimson’s Correspondence with Truman planning a meeting to tell him about the atomic weapons

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study
_collections/bomb/large/documents/pdfs/9-14.pdf#zoom=100

·        Stories from Iwo Jima: The Veterans History Project

http://www.loc.gov/vets/stories/thewar/episode6.html#iwojima

·        Scientists warning against the power of atomic energy

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study
_collections/bomb/large/documents/pdfs/79.pdf#zoom=100

·        Draft statement on the decision to drop the bombs

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/
study_collections/bomb/large/documents/pdfs/6.pdf#zoom=100

·        Truman on the decision to drop the bomb

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/
study_collections/bomb/ferrell_book/ferrell_book_intro.htm

·        Truman after the bombs were dropped

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/
study_collections/bomb/large/documents/pdfs/11.pdf#zoom=100

Western Dubuque American History Standards

Standards

1.       Understands how events are influenced and interrelated to each other.

2.1            Analyze and evaluate social and economic effects of environmental changes and crises resulting from phenomena such as floods, storms, and drought.

5.    Understands the cyclical nature of history

5.1       Explain and apply ideas, theories, and modes of inquiry drawn from American History in the examination of persistent issues and social problems.

Procedures                                                    

Day One:

1.      The teacher will get the students’ attention by posting up pictures from the Library of Congress (Hiroshima, FDR-Oppenheimer Letter, Stalin Memo on opening a 2^nd war front, Yalta Conference, Berlin Conference, Iwo Jima). Students will write down the first thing that comes to their mind as each picture is displayed.

2.      After all of the pictures have been displayed, the teacher will review and elaborate on any of the comments that the students may have had that were related to the opening pictures.

3.       The teacher will lead discussion/review of WW II topics including Josef Stalin and his rise to power, can he be trusted?  The War in the Pacific-Iwo Jima, Okinawa, Kamikaze, Henry Stimson vs. George Wallace and their views on U.S. & Soviet Union Foreign Policy.

4.      The students will be read excerpts from Einstein, Truman, Soldiers from Iwo Jima, Atomic Bomb Scientists, Herbert Hoover & Henry Stimson. 

5.      The teacher will use documentation from the Library of Congress table for discussion and review (Oppenheimer, Yalta Conference, Iwo Jima).

6.      The students will be split up into small groups and answer the questions:

a-Why had relations deteriorated between the U.S. and the Soviet Union by the Potsdam Conference? (Soviet losses, FDR is dead, Henry Stimson influence)

b-What was the greatest fear regarding an invasion of Japan? (Loss of life, waste of money invested in the atomic bomb, vengeance for Pearl Harbor—refer to Truman’s letter on August 11^th, 1945)

c-Was the U.S. justified in dropping the bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki?

d-What were other options?

Day Two

1.      Student Review/Discussion on the proper decision, keeping in mind what happened at Pearl Harbor & fear of the Communists.

2.      Students are then split up into groups and will be conducting a debate on whether or not the U.S. should have dropped the bomb.

The format for the debate will be:

1) Opening statements for each side

2) Round 1 (formal debate where each side has one minute to argue their point of view without the other group interrupting)

1 minute break

3) Round 2 (repeat round 1)

1 minute break

4) Round 3 (this is open where both sides can formally go back and forth for two minutes)

5) Concluding Statements

Judges vote on what the right decision for ending the war in the Pacific was (invite other teachers or principals to be judges). The winning argument will receive 4 points of extra credit. Every student must have some type of involvement in the debate.  Every student that participates will receive 5 participation points.

Evaluation                                                    

Assessment

In a 3-page essay, students will answer the following questions using the primary resource documents, textbooks and their own ideas:

1.      Looking ahead, how do you think the bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki will affect the foreign policy between the U.S. and the Soviet Union?

2.      What might have happened to U.S. & Soviet Union foreign policy if the bombs had not exploded?

3.      What were the other alternatives? What were the repercussions of each alternative?

Extension

Students pick three events/people and create three political cartoons detailing their involvement in the dropping of the bomb.

Image

Description

Citation

URL

Hiroshima: One Year Later

Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division

Washington, D.C.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?
pp/PPALL:@field(NUMBER+@1(cph+3b11010))

Letter, Franklin D. Roosevelt to J. Robert Oppenheimer thanking the physicist and his colleagues for their ongoing secret atomic research, 29 June 1943.
(J. Robert Oppenheimer Papers)

Library of Congress
Manuscript Division
Washington,
D.C.

http://memory.loc.gov/mss/mcc/083/0001.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/mss/mcc/083/0002.jpg

Memorandum in Russian from Joseph Stalin about opening a second front in Europe during World War II, with English translation of same, 13 August 1942. (with translation)
(W. Averell Harriman Papers)

Library of Congress Manuscript Division Washington, D.C.

http://memory.loc.gov/mss/mcc/077/0001.jpg

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId
=mcc&fileName=077/page.db&recNum=0
&itemLink=D?mcc:15:./temp/~ammem_mPV
7::@@@mdb=mcc,gottscho,detr,nfor,wpa,aap
,cwar,bbpix,cowellbib,calbkbib,consrvbib,bds
bib,dag,fsaall,gmd,pan,vv,presp,varstg,suffrg,
nawbib,horyd,wtc,toddbib,mgw,ncr,ngp,mus
dibib,hlaw,papr,lhbumbib,rbpebib,lbcoll,alad
,hh,aaodyssey,magbell,bbcards,dcm,raelbib,
runyon,dukesm,lomaxbib,mtj,gottlieb,aep,qlt,cool
bib,fpnas,aasm,scsm,denn,relpet,amss,aaeo,mffbib
,afc911bib,mjm,mnwp,rbcmillerbib,molden,ww2map,

Crimean Conference--Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Marshal Joseph Stalin at the palace in Yalta, where the Big Three met /U.S. Signal Corps photo.

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-110212]

Created/

Published 1945 February.

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a1000
0/3a10000/3a10000/3a10098v.jpg

Clement Attlee, Harry Truman, and Joseph Stalin, seated outdoors at Berlin conference.

Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [reproduction number, e.g., LC-USZ62-110212]

Created/

Published 1945 Aug. 1.

http://memory.loc.gov/service/pnp/cph/3a
10000/3a14000/3a14300/3a14367v.jpg

The First Flag Raising on Mt. Suribachi

New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection housed in the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress

http://www.loc.gov/shop/index.php?action=c
Catalog.showItem&cid=48&scid=390&iid=
3583&PHPSESSID=f6578ab1e1a3ec132

Albert Einstein to President Roosevelt, March 25, 1945

Papers of Herbert Hoover: Post-Presidential Files—Individual.

Harry S. Truman Library

Independence, Missouri

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/
study_collections/bomb/ferrell_book/
ferrell_book_chap14.htm

Correspondence between Harry S. Truman and Samuel Cavert,

August 11, 1945

Official File, Truman Papers

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/
whistlestop/study_collections/bomb/
large/documents/pdfs/11.pdf#zoom=100

Draft statement on the dropping of the bomb , July 30, 1945  

War Department, Washington D.C.

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/
study_collections/bomb/large/documents/
pdfs/6.pdf#zoom=100

Petition to the President of the United States, July 17, 1945

Miscellaneous Historical Documents Collection

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/
study_collections/bomb/large/documents/
pdfs/79.pdf#zoom=100

Henry Stimson to Harry S. Truman, April 24, 1945

Confidential File,

Truman Papers.

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/
study_collections/bomb/large/documents/
pdfs/9-14.pdf#zoom=100

Memorandum, Herbert Hoover to Harry S. Truman, May 30, 1945

Papers of Herbert Hoover: Post-Presidential Files—Individual.

Harry S. Truman Library

Independence, Missouri

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/hoover/internal
template.php?tldate=1945-05-30&groupid
=5132&collectionid=hoover

Introduction: Truman and the Bomb, a Documentary History

Papers of Herbert Hoover: Post-Presidential Files—Individual.

Harry S. Truman Library Independence, Missouri

http://www.trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/
study_collections/bomb/ferrell_book/
ferrell_book_intro.htm

Stories from Iwo Jima: The Veterans History Project

The Library of Congress
  September 19, 2007

http://www.loc.gov/vets/stories/thewar
/episode6.html#iwojima

8 points

6 points

4 points

Length &

Organization

Student exceeded minimum requirements for length of paper. All questions/topics related to the dropping of the bomb were discussed thoroughly.

Students met or nearly met minimum requirements for length of paper. All but one of the required topics was covered.

Student did not meet the minimum requirements for length of paper. More than one topic was not even mentioned in the paper.

Knowledge, Competency & Understanding

Student demonstrated knowledge, competency & understanding of both sides on the decision to drop the bomb, alternatives to dropping the bomb and all factors/controversies surrounding the decision.

Student demonstrated knowledge, competency & understanding of 4 of the 5 questions. The answers to the 4 questions could have been more complete and thought provoking. Statements from the student were not completely supported.

.

Student did not demonstrate a knowledge, competency & understanding of 2-3 topics listed. This section was poorly written and statements/ideas were not supported.

Grammar

Student demonstrated proper use of grammar throughout their two page essay.

Student had 2-3 grammatical errors in their essay.

Student had 4+ errors in their essay.