Why did Truman make the decision to drop the atomic bomb on Japan? How did critics opposed to the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki justify their negative reactions?
What will be an ideal response?
The ideal answer should include:
- Casualties in the Pacific: Truman stated in his memoirs that he made this decision to save "a half a million American lives" in ground combat, although no such official estimate exists; an intelligence document contradicted this statement by stating that the Japanese would have capitulated upon the Soviet Union's entry into the war; Japan refused to surrender unconditionally before the decision was made to drop the atomic bomb unless the emperor could keep his throne
- U.S.-Soviet relations: Truman wanted to get Soviet participation in what was predicted to be a bloody U.S. invasion of Japan and managed to get Stalin's promise to attack Japan on schedule; Truman concluded that Soviet assistance was no longer needed to end the war once the atomic bomb was successfully tested; detonation of the bombs forced caution on Stalin, who emerged as America's primary adversary
- Critics of the bomb: Japan's Nippon Times wrote that the bombings were a crime against God that struck at the basis of moral existence; American leading religious publications, such as The Christian Century, shared similar feelings and judged that using the bomb was "a moral earthquake"; Albert Einstein said the atomic bomb changed everything except the nature of man
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____________________ a New York doctor declared the whites and blacks were different species
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Successful and unconditional ratification of the Constitution can be attributed to __________
A) decisive victories in states with larger populations including Virginia and New York B) powerfully written articles by Anti-Federalists like George Mason who urged ratification C) capitalization of early momentum gained by quick ratification in five states D) Federalist determination to not compromise with Anti-Federalists
The British saw opium as a simple part of the system of
a. trade deficit. b. supply and demand. c. free-market economics. d. tariffs. e. monopolies.
Despite widespread resentment of American power, why has no coalition of nations formed to oppose the U.S.?
a. The U.S. buttresses the global economy b. The American military helps keep the global peace c. The cost of America's global commitments is borne by American taxpayers. d. A and C e. A, B and C