SOPHOMORES!!!!
We
will be handling Weekend Discussion slightly differently this week, so please
read these instructions!
Because
of our studies on moral dilemma, this week’s discussion concerns President
Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan during World War II.
Please
begin by reading a letter from Truman to James L. Cate of the University of
Chicago, which briefly outlines his reasoning for dropping the bomb:
In addition, you are welcome to use these additional sources and others to formulate your opinion and reasoning:
- http://www.trumanlibrary.org/teacher/abomb.htm
- http://www.trumanlibrary.org/hst-pape.htm
- http://www.nuclearfiles.org/menu/library/correspondence/index.htm#decision
CONSIDER: Based on your reading(s), do
you believe that Truman made the right decision? Please explain your answer
using evidence from sources (in quotation form, please!) as well as an
explanation of your own views.
Remember
to do the following:
- Use a pseudonym (pen name) and not your real name when posting,
- Be detailed in your responses by using evidence as support,
- You may respond to the question or someone else's answer, and
- Be polite and positive at all times!
Because this is a special, in-depth discussion, I would like to see LOTS of participation and replies in the form of a polite debate from as many of you as possible. As such, you have an extended time – this discussion will close on MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012.
I believe Truman didn't make decision because he sacrificed innocent lives"I ordered atomic bombs dropped on the two cities named on the way back from Potsdam when we were in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
ReplyDeleteDropping the bombs ended the war, saved lives and gave the free nations a chance to face the facts."
from Poohbear:
ReplyDelete"I ordered atomic bombs droppped on the two cities named on the way back from Postdam when we were in the Middle of the Atlantic Ocean" So by this quote i see that Truman wanted to stop the war with the Bristish and Japan which he made the decision to drop the atomic bombs. Which to me that was good because he stop the war and the man were free again in the world.
from Pin23:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shay Inuzuka. I think Truman make the right choice enen thought he killed a lot of people, but by doing so he might have saved a lot of people because if the war went on more people would have died.
In my opinion I believe that " president Harry Truman had many alternatives at his disposal for ending the war: invade the Japanese mainland, hold a demonstration of the destructive power of the atomic bomb for Japanese dignitaries, drop an atomic bomb on selected industrial Japanese cities" and because of this decision it caused a lot of death on that day, but if it weren't for the atomic bomb being dropped in Japan we probably still would be in war with them. So I do agree with Trumans decision even though there were consequences toward his actions.
ReplyDeleteIn this moral dilemma,I believe Truman made the right decision to protect his country and his people, which are his first priority. In his letter, he states that he sent an ultimatum to Japan to allow them one more chance, but they ignored it. This was Japan's fault, not Truman's.In his letter, he also stated that "Dropping the bombs ended the war, saved lives and gave the free nations a chance to face the facts." In the long run, dropping the bombs saved millions of lives from ending.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't think Truman made the right decision. There could have been other, more peaceful alternatives to this situation. By dropping the bombs, he killed many innocent people just to protect his country. To me, that seems kind of selfish. I know he wanted to keep his country safe, but he could have been the bigger person and peacefully ended the war without all the nuclear weapons and violence. Like I always say, this whole thing would have never happened if we all got along with each other and used common sense.
ReplyDeletefrom BoxmanJr:
ReplyDeleteI believe that Truman did make the right decision regarding the bomb. True, thousands of lives were lost, but if we hadn't done it would they have ever stopped? I believe they would have kept going and not stopping until we gave up. We sent them a warning about the bomb, and that if they didn't stop, we would drop it. The only thing worse than that is the act of actually dropping the bomb. And they disregarded the warning. If we didn't drop the bomb, they would have never given up. And who knows where that would've gotten us now.
from Jeremy:
ReplyDeleteYes I will agree with the quote we hold ourselves back when we say i will try something because we might not be that good at it. There is no guaranteed we will actually do the task successfully so we will procrastinate if we will do it or not.