Post your answer to number 16 from the Atomic Bomb Assignment here in the comments. Make sure to add detail to support your argument.
Post your answer to number 16 from the Atomic Bomb Assignment here in the comments. Make sure to add detail to support your argument.
AP Human Geography 
I believe that Truman made the right decision. When Franklin D. Roosevelt died, Truman was shoved into the thick of things. He hadn’t even known about the manhatten project beforehand. When the american troops were trying to reach Japan, there was constant fighting and major causualties. If our troops were to ever reach the mainland of Japan, how many of them would die? Truman had to make a desicion that would affect the outcome of the war. He decided to send a warning to the Japanese. This warning inplied the unconditional surrender of the Japanese.
They did not respond, and Truman went ahead with the plan. The bombs were dropped, and the Japanese were forced to surrender, This was one of the only ways to preserve American lives. If he didn’t go ahead with the plans, Many of the troops of both sides would have died. It was the only way to end the war quickly.
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I believe Truman made the correct decision on dropping the bomb on Japan. He had made a quick and smart decision when Roosevelt died. He was mixed into a lot of things and didn’t even know about the Manhattan project. If he hadn’t made the decision to dropped the bomb who knows what would be happening today. So many innocent lives would have been taken away if Truman had not dropped the bomb. To protect the country, you may have to get your hands dirty once in a while even if it means absolute war between countries. If Truman hadn’t made the decision, people on both sides would have loss lives of troops. Plus we had given Japan a warning to surrender but they didn’t listen so this had to end up happening eventually. Japan had also attacked us first and if the U.S. Didn’t do anything, it would have shown us as weak to other countries and Japan could have overtaken us. Truman did what was best for the country in my opinion.
Uzair Siddiq
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When it came to decide for his own country, Truman made the right decision. If he had not gone ahead with the plan, the United states would had lost many, many more soldiers fighting the relentless Japanese army. The drop of the bombs is what led to the surrender of Japan and the end of the war, a war that could have continued on for years if it were not for the decision Truman made. I believe that this was the right choice, even if the civilian aftermath was absolutely horrifying, resulting in mass death and suffering, and many treaties declaring nuclear weapons illegal, but compared to the losses if the war had continued, it was definitely the fastest way to end what Japan had brought our country into.
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I believe that Truman made the right decision when dropping the atomic bomb on japan because it saved many american lives and ensured the U.S.A the victory against japan. After Roosevelt died Truman became president and he had no clue about the Manhattan project until then. America tried to stay out of world war II as much as possible but japan decided to attack us so we had no choice but to fight back. We lost a lot of men trying to make are way to the mainland and we knew even if we got there we would lose so much more men. Before Truman dropped the bombs he warned Japan but they didn’t listen. By dropping the atomic bomb we saved many Americans lives and ended the war in a fast and efficient way.
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I believe that President Truman made the right decision when he decided to drop the atomic bomb. Although many innocent lives were lost after the bomb was dropped, Many more thousands, possibly millions, of American and Japanese lives would’ve been lost if the war had continued. President Truman dropped the bomb in order to save lives and he must have faced a lot of stress when he was deciding on whether to drop the bomb or not. There are many pros and cons of Truman’s decision to drop the bomb, but in the end he did it to save millions of innocent lives.
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Dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was one of the most difficult and controversial decisions ever made. I believe President Truman was justified in his decision, because he was only doing it to protect innocent Americans who may have died if it wasn’t for him. Yes, many Japanese people were killed in the explosion, however, we gave Japan many warnings before the atomic bombs were used in action. Also, if it wasn’t for Japan, we wouldn’t have been involved in the war in the first place. Let’s all remember who dropped the first bomb; not the U.S., but Japan at Pearl Harbor.
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Truman was in a big problem once he took the presidency. Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor and started the war between them. After the bombing, he sent American troops to fight the war in Japan. It was almost impossible to even get to Japan without losing a great amount of soldiers. As they went in farther the more soldiers they loss. Truman decided it was too risky to send troops to end up losing the war. There was about 750,000 causalities before coming to the solution of the atomic bomb.
Truman decided that the only way to win was to drop the bomb on Japan. He even warned them beforehand which I thought was smart. In my opinion I do think what he did was for the best in our case. It did end the war quickly. The negative side is that it killed many citizens and effects to those who did survive. I agree that dropping the bomb was appropriate but not in the particular area. It would make more sense to bomb an area with more troops instead of innocent people.
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I disagree with President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. A decision no one else has ever had to make. We ended the war, but at what cost? Around 225,000 people were either killed or wounded as a result of the bomb. 225,000 civilian people with families, jobs, hobbies, and everything else that makes up a person. I have noticed that Americans tend to value the lives of Americans over anyone else. Which is somewhat understandable, sharing a country would make you feel more connected to a person. I believe that dropping both bombs showed a complete disregard for human life. The decision also led us directly into the Cold War, which would last for nearly five decades. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki opened the door for possible nuclear war, a threat that is still present.
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I believe that Truman made the right decision by dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. Although there probably could’ve been an alternative, I think that this decision was good. The job of the president is to protect the American people and from the article I learned that he had to make quick decisions after Roosevelt died. His decision was made because too many American people in the forces were dying and we’re going to die. Also, since Japan wasn’t surrendering, even after their warning he had to find an effective way to stop the war quickly. If they hadn’t dropped the bomb, Japan could’ve attacked the US and tons of innocent American people would die. Therefore I think Truman made the right choice.
-Adriana Diaz
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I personally don’t think the bomb should’ve been dropped. Citizens should never be punished for what their government and military is doing. Many innocent lives were taken that day and Japan is steal dealing with the repercussions to this day. America should’ve waited for the Soviet Union to step in more and with that, we could’ve possibly won the war in a less detrimental way. Numerous people claim that it was a good choice on Truman’s behalf to allow the dropping of the bomb for the main reason that there were many American casualties. However, the Americans that were killed by Japan were part of the military and air force and they knew the risks they would endure. They were well aware that their lives were on the line. The Japanese that were killed by the atomic bombs were vulnerable civilians, not looking for a fight. We also shouldn’t have dropped a weapon we weren’t fully aware of and the negative effects that would follow.
~Noelle McFarlane
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Dropping the atomic bomb on Japan was a huge decision that was the right decision in my opinion. After President Roosevelt passed away Truman became president.The death of Roosevelt was a surprise and Truman suddenly was in charge of the U.S. At the time he knew nothing of the Manhattan Project and the power of the atomic bomb. At the time the U.S sent troops to Japan in order to take control over the area. That plan was not at all successful. It lead to over 750,000 thousand casualties from both sides. Every day the war waged on the U.S lost more and more troops. President Truman finally had seen enough. Dropping the bomb on Japan was a controversial decision, but ultimately was the right one. By dropping the atomic bomb on Japan the U.S put forth fear on the Japanese people. Japan didn’t want to surrender, but they knew that they would soon have too. After dropping the second bomb on Japan, Japan surrendered. By dropping the two bombs the U.S were able to end the war quickly before any more casualties occurred. If the bombs were not dropped than the war would have gone on for years. That would have lead to even more casualties occurring than dropping the atomic bomb. The decision to drop the two atomic bombs was with no doubt the right decision. President Truman did what was best for the future of the U.S, and if he didn’t make that decision than the U.S would be far different now.
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I believe that Truman’s decision on dropping two atomic bombs in Japan was unnecessary. Many innocent lives were taken that day when it could have been avoided. Though Truman wanted to save as many american lives as possible and end the war, other actions could have been carried out to resolve the situation. The Soviet Union declared war on Japan hours earlier than the second bombing in Nagasaki. With Japan’s concern of the Soviet Union entering the war, Japan would have surrendered without having to drop the bombs. It was also wrong to drop bombs in civilian cities when it should have been dropped in areas that targeted the military. Even one of the greatest scientists, Albert Einstein, was against the bomb and thought it was a very inhumane thing to do.
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I disagree with President Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. Around 225,000 people were either killed or wounded as a result of the bomb. 225,000 civilian people with families, jobs, hobbies, and everything else that makes up a person. Americans for some reason act as if we are the only country and people on earth. They don’t even think about other people around the world and how the bomb was going to effect the world. I believe that dropping both bombs was not humanlike and very disturbing. The decision also led us into the Cold War, which would last for about 50 years. The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki opened the door for possible nuclear war, a threat that is still present today. Atomic bombs are dangerous weapons to where if humans wanted to they can end the entire world. No matter what no one should ever drop another atomic bomb.
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I think Truman made the right decision by dropping the bomb for the time being. He came into presidency suddenly, and in the middle of the war. Truman didn’t even know what the Manhattan Project was, let alone exactly how powerful the bomb would be. Of course such a decision would be extremely difficult to make, but the Americans were dropping like flies to the Japanese and we hadn’t even reached mainland Japan yet. If the bomb had not been dropped, who knows where the war would’ve gone next. Truman did warn Japan about our weapon and how it would be incredibly powerful, but Japan refused to surrender. This left him only one choice which was to drop the bomb. He needed a way that would save American lives and end the war quicker, and the bomb was pretty much the only answer at that time.
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I believe Truman’s act of allowing the atomic bombs to be dropped on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki are justifiable. The whole reason nuclear weapons were even put into the picture was due to the death tolls from previous fighting. When the U.S was pushing up into Japanese territory, losses became a first to us, and was equivalent to a wake-up call. Even if we did claim wins before hand, many were Pyrrhic victories. The deaths on both sides didn’t equate! The never before seen discipline and skill surprised the U.S as well as the world, taking w’s in the Japanese books. Many Americans have that false nationalism where “American lives are worth more than any other” is the first thing they have to say on the topic. I disagree with this. Lives on both sides matter to themselves, some just more than others. Japanese soldiers had uncanny obedience in the fact it was “Win now, or die trying”. Coming home alive with a shameful victory was viewed worse than being dead. If those a-bombs weren’t used, those numbers we think are high now will become child’s play. Hiroshima’s bombing killed a devastating 90,000-160,000, but that number would be multiplied a billion-fold if the war was kept to guns. Radiation was unintended and we didn’t fully understand the damage of that, but even then the amount of wounded + dead + generation deformities from both bombings wouldn’t come close to the amount of deaths that would be seen if the boy and man weren’t dropped. Winning a war isn’t only a display of power, because although everyone tries their hardest to look good and ruthless, the basics of war is to take land/defend it, and destroy as little as possible. At the time, the population of Hiroshima was about 350,000. Imagine Tokyo, 6-7 million, had been nuked. Tolls of death would be in the millions, closer to what the number would’ve been if the war was fought without nuclear assistance. We nuked the military camps there, so the death amounts would be lower. Location was detrimental as seen now. From histories time, citizens will always be the ones to suffer first. It makes sense if you look at it from a war standpoint. You target what matters to a leader the most: his/her people. Target the troops they wouldn’t care in the slightest, its a military for a reason. Go for those defenseless, and that who holds power will be forced to reconsider. American soldiers signed up for the war not to lose. Why on Earth would anyone do so? It’s a militia, where the people make the military to what it is now. You go in there, and make no mistake the objective is clear: fight to win and don’t die. Deaths are inevitable most can agree, but amounts of them can be contained. Justification for invading Iraq in search of Al-Qaeda? No! U.S is all pride we will assert dominance and we will not be humiliated by terrorists! Then we get attacked by some of the most vicious fighters at the time and we’d rather had massive death tolls on both sides rather than issuing a majority of the deaths in two days? I rationalize it that Truman’s decisions were justified as well as necessary.
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I think Truman made the right decision. The topic has been under much debate, because so many people were killed due to the A-Bomb, but without the bomb, death tolls would have sky rocketed. The decision to drop the bomb was a last-ditch effort to save American lives. Had Truman waited to drop the bomb, the casualties, not just U.S. but all around, could have doubled. We had never imagined how strong the Japanese would be, and how many lives we would lose. When we got technology we could use to end the war, we took the opportunity. Once research had been done on the affects of the bomb, there was definitely remorse and sympathy for those in Japan, but regardless, we did what we needed to do to keep our people safe. After Pearl Harbor, we had no choice but to declare war, and we had warned Japan many times about our strength. Truman made the right decision and saved thousands of American lives that day, and though many people challenged him, he did what was best for the country.
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President Truman was forced strait into a huge mess that was the Presidency and soon forced to make the biggest decision in the United States’ history. I do believe he made the right decision even though he had just learned of the Manhattan project 102 days before the first bomb was dropped. Truman made the decision militarily to try to quickly end the war. First Truman gave the Japanese a chance to surrender. Then he made the made the decision to drop the bomb while in his mind, an American invasion of the homeland would have a projected 1 million deaths between the U.S. and Japan. After the first one was dropped, he gave another chance to end the war with a surrender from Japan. After another, rejection the second bomb that sealed the war was dropped and the war was over soon later. He gave the chance for the Japanese to end the war, but in the end, the bomb was quickest alternative to end the war.
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I believe Truman made the right call to drop the bombs.
The war was going on for six years having a tremendous death count and dropping the bombs would basically end the war. Not dropping the bombs would have put many American lives in danger. It’s estimated that 1 million US soldiers would have been casualties trying to take Japan. What happened in Nagasaki and Hiroshima may have seemed awful, based on the 225,000 casualties, but some times you have to look out for what is best for your country at that time. Lastly, the United States believed that Soviet involvement in the war against Japan could spread communism in Asia by the Soviet Union’s gaining influence in the area. So by Truman making the choice he did it helped communism not spread.
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I believe truman made the right decison with the atomic bomb. Yes, it is topic that can be argued about for much time, but if we hadnt dropped this A- bomb, the death count would have been through the roof compared to what it was. Truman did indeed give Japan multiple to chances to surrender, but they were too caught up in being “honorable”. I wish it could have been different, but Truman did what he had to do, to protect his country, especially if would have a lesser body count.
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