The Atomic Bomb

Randolph Middle SchoolMr. Nazak

7th Grade Humanities

Agenda March 24, 2014OBJ: Students will understand why the United States developed and used the Atomic Bomb to bring World War II to and end through their participation in guided notes and the Presidential Decision Making Debate• Warm Up• Atom Bomb Guided Notes• Presidential Debate(Whole class participation)• HW: Red Scarf Ch. 15-17• New Novel Cover for Red Scarf Girl• Return RSG at end of week: 03/28/2014

Warm Up• What is CPR? Have you ever taken a CPR training

class? If so, do you think you'd be able to use it if it were needed to save a life? If you have never taken a CPR class, is this something you'd ever like to learn? Why or why not?

• What do you think is gained and lost when voters choose to create a new, independent country? What challenges might come with forming a new government and protecting the new country?

The End of WWII in Europe

• D-Day- June 6th, 1944– Allied ships carried forces across the English

Channel to invade Normandy.– Allowed for the Allies to launch an attack on the

German forces in Europe• Hitler knew he had lost in April of 1945 and

committed suicide• V-E Day- May 7th, 1945– Victory in Europe Day

Why the Atom Bomb? Einstein who changed his position on fighting.• 1938 Germany split an uranium atom, becoming more aggressive• Physicists Leo Szilard and Eugene Winger were concerned over

Germany’s aggression • A letter to Roosevelt was written with Einstein’s signaturePurpose of letter:Einstein stated the Germany is pursuing the interest of an A bomb and we should do the same

Einstein’s Letter to Roosevelt• Roosevelt received the Letter from Einstein on October 11,

1939 from Alexander Sachs

• Roosevelt read the Letter , assigned a committee to study uranium chain reactions

• The first Atomic bomb to be used in war… ‘little boy’.

• This bomb was shipped 4 hours after the A-bomb test in the US.

• The actual radioactive material was the size of an orange.

The Atomic Bomb

What is an Atomic Bomb ?• Powerful explosive nuclear weapon, by the

splitting of the nuclei of uranium or plutonium in a chain reaction

• What is fission? – The act or process of splitting into parts

Who Created the Atomic Bomb and When was it Created?• Named the Manhattan Project• The leader was U.S. Army Brigadier General Leslie

R. Groves• Under the direction of American physicist J.

Robert Oppenheimer• Development of the atomic bomb began in 1942• The first atomic explosion was conducted, at

Alamogordo, New Mexico, on July 16, 1945

Why We Dropped the Bomb.Truman hoped deployment of the weapon would bring a quick end to the warPurpose:• To avoid sending over 750,000 troops in the invasion of

Japan • To eliminate a projected casualties of over 300,000 men• Bring about a quick end to World War II• Warning to the Soviet Union about American military

mightInteresting!• Very few moral questions were raised at the time

• The Enola Gay.• The US plane that dropped the Atomic bomb on Japan.

The “Mail Man”

When was the First Bomb Dropped?

• August 6, 1945 the US drops first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan ("Little Boy")

• August 9, US drops second atomic bomb on the city of Nagasaki ("Fat Man")

The effect of ‘little boy’

Nagasaki Aug 10 1945.

Atomic Bomb number 2.

This had once been Nagasaki.

Blue= Death TollRed= Injuries

• 60,000 to 70,000 people were killed by the Hiroshima bomb

• 40,000 by the bomb dropped on Nagasaki

Statistics of the Bomb

Japan Surrenders

Notice the gun crews ready for action on the right. The Americans were still fearful of Kamikazes.

• The Japanese surrender party onboard a US battleship in Tokyo Bay -9/15/1945

• They are ‘enduring the unendurable’ at the Emperor’s request

• The Emperor finally concedes that Japan cannot face US technology and survive

At Wars End• Japan lost 2.5 million people in the war.• China lost 10 million people.• Death toll- 55 million people died during WWII

• The USA rebuilt Japan to enable it to recover as a source of American influence in Asia.

• The Atom bomb was seen as the crucial symbol of political power

VJ Day (Victory over Japan Day)

• The scene in Times Square August 14 1945.

• News has just been released that Japan has formally surrendered.

• World War two has ended. But the Cold War has already begun….

Presidential DebateThe question to be decided is, "Should President Truman drop the atomic bomb on Japan and why?"

Students will be assigned various individual or groups

President Political Appointees - Byrnes,

Stimson, Bard, Conant, Bush Scientists - Oppenheimer,

Compton, Teller, Szilard, Franck Generals - Marshall, Leahy,

Eisenhower, Groves, Arnold Average American soldiers U.S. citizens Japanese citizens

You will read a description about your role and background

You will be in character while the debate is in process

Each group or individual will discuss their position and pass on their recommendations to the President

Each group will recommend and present a plan of action to the president

The President will make the decision and pass it on to the class

"Should President Truman drop the atomic bomb on Japan and why?"

• Please answer this question based on your knowledge and participation in the Presidential Debate

• Write 3-4 complete sentences and provide support for your position

Works Cited

• www.trumanlibrary.com

• http://wars.mrdonn.org/powerpoints/atomicbomb.html