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Introduction

On August 6, 1945 the United States dropped the first atomic weapon ever used in modern warfare on Japan.  The Japanese city of Hiroshima and the world learned the destructive force of atomic energy when at 8:15 A.M. local time “Little Boy” detonated over the city.  The immediate results were 70,000 deaths and thousands more that would die of radiation sickness and wounds sustained in the blast.  The rules of warfare drafted before World War II sought to prevent civilians from becoming targets of enemy aircraft. 

Both Germany and Japan faced punishments for their war time atrocities.  Many feel the United States should have been punished for the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the countless numbers of civilian casualties.  Others feel the United States was justified in using a weapon that would bring an end to nearly four long years of sacrifice and war. 

Our mission is to settle this question: Should the United States have dropped the atomic bomb on Japan?

 

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