Name: Date: Period: The Atom Bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan August By Alan Ream 2015

Transcription

1 Name: Date: Period: The Atom Bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japan August 1945 By Alan Ream 2015 The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki marked the first and only time in the history of the world that nuclear weapons were used against human populations. The bombings brought an abrupt end to WWII, a war that had gone on for about six years and claimed the lives of an estimated 45 million people around the world (2006 Almanac). In this assignment, you will encounter multiple perspectives concerning the use of the atomic bomb. After answering some questions about these events, you will do some critical thinking and analysis. The Assignment First, read In Truman s own words, On Board the Enola Gay, and A Survivor s Story to answer the questions below (you are free to use an Almanac, encyclopedia, dictionary, or other resources for additional information as needed). Second, you will listen to excerpts of The Last Train from Hiroshima, a CD recording and view scenes from The Atomic Bomb Collection DVD, and watch a Google Earth tour of important places. Third, from these varied sources, you will do some critical thinking and analysis. Fourth, The Butter Battle Book by Dr Seuss. First: About the Atom Bomb 1. Is there a difference between the words Atomic & Nuclear? (Dictionary) Atomic- Nuclear- 2. What is an atomic bomb? (Truman Reading) 3. Who developed the first atomic bombs? (Encyclopedia, video) 4. Where and when was the first atomic bomb developed and tested? (Reading, video) 5. Who was Harry S. Truman? (Reading) The Decision to Use It

2 6. What are three primary reasons / justifications given by Truman to use the bomb against Japan? (Truman Reading) 7. What warning was issued to Japan prior to the bombing? (Truman Reading) 8. Why were these two cities targeted? (Truman Reading or Almanac / video) Hiroshima Nagasaki Dropping the Bomb 9. Complete this chart with information about the two bombs? (Yield = equivalent in tons of TNT) (Almanac, encyclopedia, video) Weapon Type of Bomb Yield Target City # Deaths Little Boy Fat Man 10. Who was colonel Paul Tibbets? (Reading) 11. What was the name of the plane that dropped the first bomb on Hiroshima? (Reading, video) 12. What air base did the planes leave from on the Hiroshima mission (Google Earth tour)?

3 13. Where in the city was the bomb targeted to explode, and where did it actually do so? (Reading, video) 14. What was the name of the second plane that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki three days later and who was the pilot? (Use your skills to find this) The Aftermath 15. Describe some of what was it like to be in Hiroshima on August 6 th 1945 at 8:15 AM? (Reading, CD, video) 16. What is a hibakusha, and what difficulties do they still face today? (Reading) 17. When and where did Japan finally surrender? (Reading, encyclopedia, Google Earth tour) 18. What message did the people of Hiroshima later sign and send to the United States? (Reading) 19. What efforts were made after the surrender, to help Japan rebuild? (Use your research skills) 20. What affects has the radiation had on both the land and the people over the years? (Reading)

4 Second: In the boxes that follow, (1) Select a quote that you feel is really powerful from each of the different sources. (2) Draw a picture to go with the quote (3) Tell why you chose it in complete sentences. In Truman s Own Words On Board the Enola Gay

5 A Survivor s Story The Last Train from Hiroshima

6 Atomic Bomb Video Collection or The Butter Battle Book Third I. Investigate a historical question. What are two interesting historical questions that could be asked about this topic concerning the use of the Atomic bomb? Here is an example: If you were president in 1945, and had to make the decision to use the Atomic bomb or not, what would you have decided to do and what factors would have most influenced your decision? 1) 2) II. Formulate and defend a thesis with evidence. If you were asked to write a history paper about the use of the Atomic bomb to end WWII, what would be your thesis statement? (Please use the guidelines at the back for help on this) Your Thesis Statement goes here:

7 III. Evaluate multiple historical sources. For this part, using a scale of 1-10 with 1 meaning poor or low quality, and 10 meaning very high quality, rate the sources provided in this assignment in the table below. Source The InspirED Readings Usefulness of the information (Is it a primary or secondary source? Does it provide useful information?) 1-10 Reliability of the source (How much can you trust where it comes from?) 1-10 Comments Last Train from Hiroshima CD The Atomic Bomb Collection DVD I. WHAT IS A THESIS? Thesis Statement Guidelines (From: hippocampushistory.blogspot.com) What is a thesis? The thesis is the controlling idea around which you construct the rest of your paper. In a history paper, the thesis generally explains why or how something happened. Every word of your paper should support your thesis. Information you do not directly relate to your thesis will appear irrelevant. This means, of course, that in a paper with a weak or no thesis, much of the paper will appear to be irrelevant and unguided. How do I present the thesis? The thesis should be contained in a single sentence that is concise and grammatically correct. This is usually the last sentence of the first paragraph. More than one sentence may be necessary to establish the thesis. The remainder of the introductory paragraph should draw the reader's attention to the problem the thesis confronts, and define key terms that appear in the thesis. III. CONSTRUCTING A THESIS How do I develop a good thesis? Here is an example of how you might arrive at a strong thesis. (1) Start with a topic, such as discrimination against Japanese Americans during World War II. (Note that this is a very general area of interest. At this stage, it is

8 utterly unguided. You cannot write a paper on this topic, because you have no path into the material.) (2) Develop a question around it, as in "why did government officials allow discrimination against Japanese Americans?" (You now have a question that helps you probe your topic; your efforts have a direction, which is answering the question you have posed for yourself. Note that there are a great many questions which you might ask of your general topic. You should expect in the course of your research to consider many such possibilities. Which ones are the most interesting? Which ones are possible given the constraints of the assignment?) (3) Develop a unique perspective on your question which answers it: Government officials allowed discrimination against Japanese Americans not because it was in the nation's interest, but because it provided a concrete enemy for people to focus on. (This is a thesis statement. You have answered the question you posed, and done so with a rather concrete and specific statement. Your answer offers a novel and thoughtful way of thinking about the material. Once the terms of the thesis are clarified [what was the "national interest"; what was the meaning and value of having "a concrete enemy for people to focus on"?], you are on your way to a solid paper.) Sources InspirEd - Educators, Inc. In Truman s Own Words, On Board the Enola Gay, A Survivor s Story. Atlanta, GA Pellegrino, Charles. The Last Train from Hiroshima. Henry Holt and Company, New York Pellegrino, C. Unabridged history. The Last Train from Hiroshima: a survivor's look back. CD Recording read by Arthur Morey. Tantor Media Inc The Atomic Bomb Collection. DVD video. Goldhil entertainment. Produced and directed by Peter Kuran. Narrated by William Shatner Google Earth.