Procedures

• WARM-UP:

  To begin class, have the students brainstorm answers to the following question:

  • Describe the fighting and important battles that took place between Japan and the Allied forces during World War II.

  • Describe what you know about the atomic bomb.

• INTRODUCTION:

  Review the students’ answers to the warm-up and provide a brief overview of the atomic bomb, the Allied strategy in the Pacific and significant battles prior to 1945.

  To provide with a fuller understanding of the Manhattan Project and the War in the Pacific, have the students view each of the following introductory video clips and answer the questions associated with each. Students can use the handout linked below to access the videos and answer the questions.

  HANDOUT: The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb (Google Doc)

• VIDEO CLIP 1: The Development of the Atomic Bomb (2:36)

  • Describe the origins of the atomic bomb in the United States.

  • What was the plan for using the atomic bomb in World War II? What events caused this plan to change?

  • Describe the devastation caused by dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

• VIDEO CLIP 2: The Interim Committee and the Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb (5:22)

  • What was the Interim Committee? What was its purpose?

  • What would be the benefit of a demonstration of the atomic bomb?

  • Describe the recommendation made by the Interim Committee.

  • Explain Harry Truman’s role in the atomic bomb prior to becoming president.

  • What factors influenced the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan?

• VIDEO CLIP 3: The End of World War II in Japan (3:55)

  • Describe the fighting that occurred in the Pacific in 1945 as American forces approached the Japanese home islands.

  • How do the artifacts in the museum reflect the impact of the war on families in the United States?

  • What factors contributed to the different American plans to end the war?

  • What was the Manhattan Project?

  • Describe the timeline of events that occurred in August 1945.

• EXPLORATION:

  After answering the previous questions, students should use the chart on the handout to take notes to help them answer the following question: Was using the atomic bomb on Japan necessary for ending World War II?

  HANDOUT: The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb (Google Doc)

• VIDEO CLIP 4: The Debate over the Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan (3:17)

  • What are the two competing theories on the use of the atomic bomb?

  • Describe the “traditional” arguments for dropping the atomic bomb on Japan.

  • Describe the “revisionist” arguments for not dropping the atomic bomb on Japan.

• VIDEO CLIP 5: Reasons for Dropping the Atomic Bomb (4:15)

  VIDEO CLIP 6: The Soviet Invasion of Manchuria

  VIDEO CLIP 7: The Atomic Bomb and the End of World War II (1:43)

  VIDEO CLIP 8: Alternatives to Using the Atomic Bomb (3:23)

• APPLICATION AND CONCLUSION:

  Using their notes on the handout, the students will respond to the following prompt:

  Was the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary to end World War II?

  Teachers can choose to have students address this prompt using the following options:

  • Written essay

  • Speech or presentation

  • Short video

  • Infographic or poster

• EXTENSION/ALTERNATIVE ACTIVITIES:

  Online Discussion Board- Using the same prompt listed above, have the students write a post explaining their position. They should explain the reasons why they believe this. Once students have posted their arguments, each student should respond to at least three other students’ posts and explain why they agree or disagree with their arguments. They should use examples and information from the videos when they respond.

  Primary Source Interpretation- View the video clips linked below of a Hiroshima survivor, American veterans and a U.S. Department of War film. Answer the questions listed below.

  Clip: Hiroshima Survivor and Activist Setsuko Thurlow (4:53)

  Clip: Tale of Two Cities- The Bombing of Nagasaki (3:45)

  Clip: The Atomic Bomb and the Invasion of Japan (2:57)

  • How does each clip describe the bombings?

  • How do the these perspectives compare to each other?

• ADDITIONAL PROMPTS:

  • How did the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki change the world?

  • In what ways did the use of the atomic bomb contribute to the Cold War between the U.S and Soviet Union?

  • How has the interpretation of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki changed since 1945? Why do you think this is?