Christopher Estrada Period 5 February 6, 2013 Drop the bomb?

A boy is playing with his dog as a bully comes up to him. The bully kills the dog and runs away. The boy is very sad about his dog and he goes to the bullys house. He goes in and talks to his parents. The bullys parents do not take the boy seriously and the boy out of anger kills the parents. As the Second World War struck, the United States kept isolationist. On December 7, 1941, some japanese pilots flew to the American military base Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and bombed it with the United States completely unaware that it was going to happen. The United States then entered the Second World War with the Allied Powers. On the Pacific Theatre, it struggled to defeat Japan until the atomic bombs were made. President Truman then ordered to drop the bombs on the japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and that is how the Second World War ended. The United States should not have dropped the atomic bombs on Japan for the reasons of many deaths, Japan was already defeated, and because it caused longlasting effects. Even though it was vengeance for Pearl Harbor, the bombings do not outweigh it. The bombings of atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki killed many innocent japanese people. In the history book American Nation, a chapter on the Second World War explains, Japanese estimates put the total number of deaths caused by both bombs at around 200,000(Boyer and Stuckey 554). This quotes demonstrates that a huge amount of japanese people were killed. All those people were innocent, since the people in the military were of course at war. Those japanese people did not deserve to die because we are no better than them. They died a horrendous death as many were disintegrated, severely burned and injured. Therefore, if we were to defeat Japan in another way, imagine how many people who would still live.

Christopher Estrada Period 5 February 6, 2013 Japan was already about to surrender, but it was just a matter of time. According to Mr. Byrnes knowledge, He knew at that time, as the rest of the Government knew, that Japan was essentially defeated and that we could win the war in another six months(Szilard, A Personal History of the Bomb). Szilard points out in his quote Byrnes reasoning about the atomic bombs. He claims that Byrnes and the United States Government knew Japan was basically defeated. He then adds that they also knew it was just a matter of time like around six months. Having Japan already in our hands, why did we have to greatly punish them with the atomic bombs? We could have continued those six months and defeat them without killing thousands of innocent people. Despite the fact that the bombings were revenge for Pearl Harbor, the deaths and damage do not compare. Based on the presidents assistant press secretary Eben Ayers justification about the atomic bombs, Yes, the atomic bomb harnessed the basic power of the universe and yes, the bomb was more powerful than 20,000 tons of TNT; however, was the bombing a fair repayment for Pearl Harbor?(Veracity, Official U.S. history of atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki is more fiction than fact). As Veracity shows us, based on Ayerss view on the bombs, the atomic bombs truly were powerful. The bombs power was something unbearable as it was tested in New Mexico, being more powerful than 20,000 tons of TNT. If the bombs were really powerful, imagine how it felt to get killed or hurt in that bomb. Also consider the amount of building, houses, and land it destroyed, which people worked really hard to have. As for Pearl Harbor, the japanese attack didnt kill many people. The attack was also at a military base which is meant to be attacked if done so. Therefore, the bombings were a monstrosity due to its carnage and destruction they caused which does not compare to the attack of Pearl Harbor.

Christopher Estrada Period 5 February 6, 2013 The atomic bombs also caused long-lasting effects of radiation on the Japanese people, causing their descendents to have birth-defects. In one of Samuel Gladstones speeches he states, Finally, mention must be made of the harmful effects of the nuclear radiations. These represent a source of casualties entirely new to warfare(Gladstone, The Effects of Nuclear Explosion). Gladstone clearly demonstrates in his quote that there were many harmful effects of the radiation the atomic bomb generated. The radiation caused people to have instability in their health. As their children were born, those children inherited the radiation resulting in their birth defects. This continued onto generations, which doesnt make it a pleasurable thing. Others affected by the radiation died from cancer received of it or just in the explosion. Having bombed those japanese people truly affected their lives and their childrens. They wouldnt have to suffer those things today if we didnt bomb their cities. The American Government should have not bombed the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with atomic bombs because it was the cause of a massacre, Japan was at the edge of defeat, and because it left devastating effects on the Japanese and their future generations. Although it seemed as retribution, it was actually unfair payback. This is significant because if one is allowed to do a disastrous thing that really is not necessary, it should be for fair reasons. Changing the future depends if it does not greatly affect many people, otherwise there would be really terrible results we would regret.