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Secrets of the Manhattan Project: Undertaking the Responsibility of Americas Research and Development Project

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Alisha McDevitt Senior Division Individual Website

Alisha McDevitt Senior Individual Website NHD 2014 Process Paper As we were being introduced to National History Day, I had picked up Ellen Klages historical fiction novel, The Green Glass Sea. Seeing how the novel was set in the families involved in the previously top-secret Manhattan Project, it piqued my interest in the subject and I chose to research it for this years theme of Rights and Responsibilities. The Manhattan Project is a prime example of rights and responsibilities in U.S. history. I started my research on a class trip to the library. My teacher had warned us that we would have difficulties finding primary sources, so I focused my efforts there. At the library I found a gem- The Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses, and Historians. As I read the book, I jotted down important figures and documents in the development of nuclear weaponry to further research later. It turns out that the overall commander of the Manhattan Project, General Leslie Groves, wrote a book himself, titled Now It Can Be Told: The Story of the Manhattan Project. Through it, I learned what it was like to be the man responsible for directing the progress of the project.!

I believe that the website category was the most effective way for me to present the information I discovered. As I began researching, I started to see a sleek, high-profile website to match the feel of the Manhattan Project. When I was younger, I had messed around with website coding, so I knew exactly how to create the vision I had in my mind. Most of the documents I had researched I could easily find online, and I used Weeblys and html coding to create slideshows and organize the data. I didnt want to distract from the provided information, so I kept everything simple. The Manhattan Projects development of the atomic bomb thrust the world into a new era of nuclear weaponry. Over 100,000 workers combined forces to undertake the responsibility of creating a revolutionary weapon that would put an end to one of the biggest wars in history. Not only did they have to defeat the Soviet Atomic Bomb Project, but they had to do so all while preserving the rights listed in the Espionage act. The Manhattan Project embodies the 2014 National History Day theme of Rights and Responsibilities because the participants had to juggle many responsibilities, including keeping nuclear weaponry development a secret from the public. Those involved had to carry the weight of inventing a new weapon along with keeping civilians safe. Fortunately for us all, they had carried the rights and responsibilities of the Manhattan Project well. Word Count: 441

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