Free Response

In class, we talked about the controversy regarding dropping the atomic bomb on Japan. Many people in the United States thought that it would be a good idea because than the war would end faster. The Japanese culture is very different from America. The soldiers were taught to fight until their death because they would be fighting for their country. The Japanese thought surrendering was the highest form of shame because it shows that someone gives up. This is why the war was going on for a long time. The American government officials thought that if they dropped the atomic bomb, it would make so much destruction that the Japanese would finally surrender and the war would be over. America’s number one goal was end the war the fastest way possible with as little American casualties. Another possibility that part of America thought was a good idea was to not drop the bomb at all on the Japanese. Their rationale was that it would be immoral to kill innocent civilians who are not in the war. Some Americans think that the war should only be between the American soldiers and the Japanese soldiers. They think that the civilians shouldn’t be affected by the war because they aren’t the soldiers. With a lot of thought, the American government decided to drop the atomic bomb on Japan. They dropped the bomb on 2 cities; Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These were two towns that had a heavy population and most of the main area was instantly killed by the bombs. After the bombing, the emperor made a speech deciding to back out of the war. This debate showed that America wanted to get out of the war as fast as possible and they had to make a tough decision.