Web Quest for the Atomic Bomb: Should it be used in World War II?

1. Web Quest for the Atomic Bomb: Should it be used in World War II? By Group 1: Ed Mennenga, Mark Lukaszewski, Rich Morton, Kenny Hagberg, Calvin Braker

2. Introduction to the task • You assume the role of President Truman. It is your duty as the president of the United States of America to decide the course of action to determine the outcome of World War II. V - E Day has come and passed as Hitler as fallen to the Allied occupation. However, Japan is relentless in their resistance. You must decide whether you feel it is appropriate to use the Atomic bomb to end the war or if you should proceed with your General’s plans to invade the main island of Japan.

3. The Task • The class will accomplish this task by being divided into four groups. Each group will be assigned one of four tasks: • 1. Science Specialist • 2. Humanitarian • 3. General • 4. Environmental supporter • Each group will be assigned a specific set of articles to use for their specific group task, however you must review other groups’ sources in order to support or defend your position as your specific role.

4. The Task- Part 2 • This quest will take 3 class periods. Two class periods will be used to read, analyze, and form an opinion about the information you’ve acquired. • You will take this information and develop a brief 10 minute presentation to give on the 3rd day of class in order to convince the class of your position on using the atomic bomb. • The final 10 minutes of the 3rd day of class will be used to vote on if the class will use the bomb or promote an invasion of the Japanese homeland.

5. Grades/ Rubric • You will be evaluated in the following way: • Presentation= 30 points - 10 points for using information from all assigned sources - 10 points for clarity/grammar/ spelling - 10 points for presenting for the full 10 minutes • Day 1 and 2= 20 points for each day= 40 total -10 points for reading all assigned sources and answering questions -10 points for noise level/group focus • Group Evaluations= 30 points - Each group member will rate your participation - You receive a possible 10 points from your three fellow members • Total points= 100 points

6. Timeline for completion DAY 1 DAY 2 • Students will read and analyze all of their groups required material that is presented in the WebQuest and successfully navigate all links provided. • Students should finish any material left in the WebQuest after Day 1.  With the time remaining students will meet in groups and prepare presentations on the material they have covered.

7. Timeline for completionDAY 3 • Students will present what they prepared during day 2 in front of the class.  The last ten minutes of class will be reserved for a class vote on whether or not the bomb should be used.

8. Take the role of a military general • President Truman has asked you to determine if the military strategy should be to use the Atomic bomb or invade the Japanese mainland? • The following slides contain information for you to read, analyze, and develop an opinion on if you should use the atomic bomb or invade the Japanese mainland. You will read information from two sources. • The first source includes discussion on an introduction to the military situation, description of invasion plans, and information about the Potsdam conference and decision to use the bomb. • The second source includes information on death tolls, Japanese moral, and the atomic strategy. • Please use this information to form your groups opinion and support your argument in your presentation.

9. Military General Source 1 Reference Website: http://www.history.army.mil/books/70-7_23.htm “The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb,” by Louis Morton. • Please view the following website found at: http://www.history.army.mil/books/70-7_23.htm • Scroll down to the section titled “Military Considerations” and “ The Decision” and read those brief sections. • While reading, please keep in mind the following questions, which are found on the next slide.

10. Military General Source 1 Questions Reference Website: http://www.history.army.mil/books/70-7_23.htm “The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb,” by Louis Morton. • Why was the moral of the Japanese important in determining military Strategy? Why did they fear unconditional surrender? • How did the Potsdam Conference influence military strategy with the bomb? • Who did the Americans believe as in control of Japan and what did they believe was the only way to remove them?

11. Military General Source 2 Reference Website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pacific/peopleevents/e_olympic.html “Victory in the Pacific,” PBS. • Please view the following website found at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pacific/peopleevents/e_olympic.html • Please read all the sections. While reading, keep the following questions in mind, which are found on the next slide.

12. Military General Source 2 Questions Reference Website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pacific/peopleevents/e_olympic.html “Victory in the Pacific,” PBS • How did previous invasions, such as Okinawa, influence military commanders decisions? • What were the projected casualties of an invasion? • What were the difficulties facing an American invasion of Japan? • Why was the atomic strategy important?

13. Military Commander Conclusion • Now that you have read and analyzed both sources. Please take a moment and come to a group conclusion on which strategy to follow (Use the bomb or invade Japan). If the results are mixed, please present both sides in your presentation. • Use the information you’ve read to support your conclusions when forming your group presentation. • Remember to cite your information and use concrete examples to convince your classmates!

14. Take the role of an environmentalist. Take a special look at the following websites to see how the environment was affected by the dropping of the atomic bombs. Find specific information from these websites that will help you to make an argument for or against the use of the bombs. Be able to use hard evidence from these websites that will make your argument strong enough to win a debate.

15. EnvironmentalistPart 1 Reference Website: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/military/proliferation/types.html “Tracking Nuclear Proliferation,” PBS • Go to: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/military/proliferation/types.html and look at the section labeled The Atomic Bombto see how an environmentalist viewed the dropping of the atomic bomb.

16. EnvironmentalistPart 2 Reference Website: http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=220229 “Radioactive Fallout,” History Channel • Looking at this website, what are the major effects of radioactive fallout? • http://www.history.com/encyclopedia.do?articleId=220229

17. EnvironmentalistPart 3 Reference Website: http://www.wtj.com/archives/hiroshima.htm “The Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima,” The War Times Journal • Look at this man’s experience of the bombing of Hiroshima and find how he talks about the effects on the environment. • http://www.wtj.com/archives/hiroshima.htm

18. Environmental Conclusion • Now that you have seen how environmentalists viewed the use of the bomb, the issues surrounding radioactive fallout, and read an individual’s account of the bomb you need to come to a conclusion on the use of the atomic bomb. • Be prepared to use specific examples from the readings in order to support your conclusions and argument in your presentation.

19. Take the role of a humanitarian. • From the standpoint of a humanitarian, read and analyze the following websites and develop some ideas concerning the human cost of the use of nuclear weapons. • Form a conclusion of whether to invade Japan or drop the atomic bomb using information gathered from the web content. • Take the information from the web to create an argument used in a debate on the atomic bomb’s use.

20. HumanitarianSource I Reference Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki • Go to this link. • For both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki sections, read the sections entitled “The bombing,” “Post-attack casualties,” and any other useful sections. • Take notes on information in these sections to form a conclusion on using the bomb.

21. Humanitarian Part II • After taking notes on these sections, develop what you believe a humanitarian would say on the use of the atomic bomb to create an argument on the bomb’s use. • Pay particular attention to the death tolls and injuries associated with the bombings. • Should weapons of mass destruction ever enter the debate concerning warfare? Reference Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_bombings_of_Hiroshima_and_Nagasaki

22. HumanitarianSource II • Go to this Link. • Start reading at the bottom of page 2 at the section “Early Radiation Effects.” • End on page 6 after the “Genetic Effects on Children of Survivors” section. • Take notes to gather information from these sections that can help create an argument over whether or not to drop the bomb. Reference Website: http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/rerf_final.pdf

23. HumanitarianPart II • After reading these sections, use the statistics and other information to form an argument a humanitarian would present regarding the use of the atomic bomb. • What were the different ways the bomb affected people? • What were the types of illnesses involved with radiation exposure for the survivors of the blasts? Reference Website: http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/rerf_final.pdf

24. Humanitarian Conclusion • After your group has gone over the material on these websites, form a consensus on whether or not the atomic bomb should be used. Keep in mind you need to present the perspective of a humanitarian. • Use specific evidence and examples from the web content in order to create an effective argument over the use of the bomb. • Remember to cite information when needed. Also, remember to be persuasive; this is a debate!

25. Science Specialist • Take the role of a leading scientist to help the president decide wither or not to use the atomic bomb. You will be using the following websites to see what some of the positives and negatives of dropping the bomb are. • Find specific information from the websites to help support you point. • Your group will have to choose either positive (defending its use) or negative (opposing its use) aspects of the issue and be able to defend your group’s position in a debate.

26. Science source 1 Reference Website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/truman/psources/ps_einstein.html “Letter from Albert Einstein to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt” • Please view the following website found at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/truman/psources/ps_einstein.html • Please read the websites closely and take good notes so your group will be ready for the debate • The reading questions are on the next slide

27. Science source 1 • How much power did Fermi and Szilard think the bomb was capable of producing? • Why did Albert Einstein tell the President to make the bomb? • What was Albert Einstein scared the Germans were going to do?

28. Science source 2 http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects15.shtml “Radiation Effects on Humans” • Please view the following website found at: • http://www.atomicarchive.com/Effects/effects15.shtml • Please read the websites closely and take good notes so your group will be ready for the debate • The reading questions are on the next slid

29. Science source 2 • What are the effects of radiation in terms of harm to human tissue? And if exposed, what can happen to a person’s body affected by a large amount of radiation? • Do you think that winning the war is worth this price?

30. Science Specialist conclusion • Now that you have read and taken notes from each of the web pages provided, consider what you would have done if you where a part of the scientific community before the WWII dropping of the atomic bomb. Would you tell the president to go ahead or tell him not to drop? • Support your group’s position with key points from the readings. • After this make sure to cite your work, and be ready to tell the rest of the class what you have learned.

31. Conclusion • As this WebQuest has shown, the decision that lay in front of President Truman was by no means an easy one to make.  There is no doubt that dropping the bomb on both Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the war much faster than would have otherwise been possible.  It saved countless American lives, but at the cost of over a hundred thousand Japanese civilians.  The use of the bomb asserted American supremacy during the Cold War and set the stage for American global dominance for decades to come.