Dropping the Atomic Bomb

1. What factors have affected viewpoints on Truman's decision?
There were many factors that affected viewpoints of Truman's decision. Some people believed that the war was over and that the Allies had already won the war, but some believed that Truman decided to drop the bombs because he just wanted to scare the USSR. Some believe that He did it to please the leaders of the military because they wanted to test out the bombs and use them in actual warfare. The points that agreed with Truman's decision were that American soldiers were tortured.



2. Do you think he made the right decision? Give your reasons.

I think that Truman did make the right decision by dropping the atomic bombs on the mainland because if he did not then the US would have had to invade. We had seen how they had defended Iwo Jima so fiercely, and this was only because it was 2 islands away from the mainland. The casualty estimation of the invasion would have been about .2 million. Invasion and the Atomic bombs were the only two choices given to him, and the bomb dropping saved hundreds of thousands of american lives, also saving time.

War in the Pacific

1. What was the importance of the Battle of Midway?
The American's repelled the Japanese assault, destroying over 200 Japanese planes, 4 aircraft carriers, and a cursor. It also marked a turning point in the war in the Pacific because afterwards the Allies, began island hopping towards Japan.

2. What strategy did the United States adopt in fighting Japan?
The United States adopted the strategy or island hopping. This was when they would advance towards japan island by island slowly pushing the Japanese people back toward japan.

3. Why did the Japanese fight so hard on Iwo Jima?
Th Japanese fought so hard on Iwo Jima because it was the japanese's last defense from the Americans attacking Okanawa, which was the last island they had to attack before they would be at the mainland, Japan. Also, they had created tunnel systems in the island and mountains, and so they were very hard to flush out.

4. Why did the Allies believe Okinawa was a foretaste of an invasion of Japan?
The Allies believed that Okinawa was a foretaste of the invasion of Japan because of the fact that the japanese fought so hard at Iwo Jima, which showed they would rather die than surrender, and this was because they were 2 islands away from Japan, and so they were wondering how they would defend the actual homeland. They knew they would fight harder than they did at Iwo Jima.


5. What was the Manhattan Project?
The Manhattan Project was the project to build the Atomic Bomb, and this was created because we did not want to invade Japan.


6. Ultimately, why did President Truman decide to drop atomic bombs on Japan?
President Truman decided to drop the atomic bombs on Japan to save the lives of the millions of Americans that would die assaulting Japan.

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941

Japan and U.S. Relations in 1941

Document A
-going south would bring America, England, the Soviet Union, and Asia to their knees and Japan will have little resistance.
-best place for japan to attack would be south

Document B
-America is being surrounded by Japan

Document C
-Japan cannot negotiate with America
-Japan has been and is still being oppressed by America
-Japan has been sacrificing to try and keep the peace for years

Document D
-at this point japan has to decide between destruction and glory
-Japan owes the emperor and military their support

Document E
-Japan caused the war because they attacked first
-Japan tried deceive Americans by talking about peace
-It is a necessity that America goes to war with Japan

"Isolationism" and FDR (1935 - 1941)

1. What were the goals of the isolationists? Why is "isolationism" a misleading term?

Isolationists thought that they shouldnt join any more wars because the rest of the world did not share any of their interests. Isolationism is a misleading term because it makes it seem like the US wants to isolate itself away from the rest of the world, which wasnt the case at all because it just had to do with wars.

2. What did some isolationists feel that there was no need for Americans to feel threatened by developments in Europe and Asia?

They felt like they did not need to feel threatened because we are seperated from them by oceans and we had friendly alliances with them so there was nothing to be feared.

3. What were the purposes of the Nye Committee hearings?

The NYE committee hearings were to investigate why the US joined WWI, and if they were found to share them with the american people to stop any troubles abroad.

4. List two impressions that the Nye Committee hearings created.
The NYE Committee Hearings created the impressions that Men had died in the war because companies wanted profits because war boosts some business and industry because of the need for supplies, and that the banks also had a stake in things.

5. What were the purposes of the Neutrality Acts?
The purpose of the Neutrality Acts were to keep Americans more neutral by stopping trade that could aid one side over the other in war.

6. List two reasons that some Americans considered Roosevelt's leadership radical and dangerous.
He wanted intrusive government a lot and also because he held a lot of power over the people.

7. What was "Cash and Carry"?
Crash and Carry said that it was okay for people to trade with belligerents but they had to get the goods themselves because of the US's lack of being able to ship to them.

8. Why did President Roosevelt freeze Japanese assets in the United States?
He thought that us not getting involved with Japan would stop the Japanese from moving forward.

9. What was the purpose of the America First Committee?
The purpose of the America First Committee was to keep america out of war and look after our own interests.