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?
