Was The Dropping Of The Atomic Bomb Justified? Essay -- U.S. History

On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. This was an extremely controversial military strategy in the United States. Was the United States justified in the dropping of the atomic bomb? The U.S. feared the rise of communism and gave aid to any country against it. The U.S. also fought countries threatening the spread communism. One of these countries was Japan. We began a harsh and brutal war against Japan and against communism. This war was killing many soldiers and Japan was not backing down. President Truman decided to use the atomic bomb when things were getting worse. The decision to use the atomic bomb was a difficult one and many people wonder if it was the right choice. When the United States caught word that Germany was close to creating the atomic bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer and other scientists wanted to create it first, for the U.S. After three years of research, the first small atomic device was exploded on July 16, 1945 in the lab at Los Alamos. Having proved their concept worked, a larger scale bomb was built. Less than a month later, atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan (Rosenberg). There are many people who oppose the use of the atomic bombs; though there are some that believe it was a necessity in ending the war. President Truman realized the tragic significance of the atomic bomb and made his decision to use it to shorten the agony of young Americans (â€Å"Was the Atomic Bombing†). The president knew of the way the Japanese fought. They fought to the death and they were brutal to prisoners of war. They used woman and children as soldiers to surprise bomb the enemy. They made lethal weapons and were taught to sacr... ...t of physical as well as psychological damage was too great according to many people. Works Cited The Atomic Bomb. Evanston, Ill.: Nextext, 2000. Print. "Atomic Bomb-Truman Press Release-August 6, 1945." Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. Web. 10 June 2010. . Chaitin, Julia, Aiko Swasa, and Dan Bar-On. "Life After The ATOMIC BOMB." USA Today Magazine Mar. 2007: 20-23. Points Of View Reference Center. Web. 4 June 2010. Rosenberg, Jennifer. "J Robert Oppenheimer - Biography of Manhattan Project Director J. Robert Oppenheimer." 20th Century History. Web. 10 June 2010. . "Was the Atomic Bombing of Japan Justifiable?" The Pacific War 1941-43. Web. 10 June 2010. .