Deciding to Drop the Bomb

Introduction
Imagine it is 1945 and World War II is coming to a conclusion . It is just before the end of the war and President Truman, with the help of his advisors, is making the decision whether or not to drop the Atomic bomb. Your role is to analyze different perspectives and explain a position for or against the controversial issue of dropping the bomb.   The question you must ask yourselves is "Should we drop the bomb?"
 

Task
You will be acting as an advisor to President Truman and assisting him in his decision on whether or not the United States should drop the atomic bomb. After researching all of the following opinions, you will author a letter of recommendation to the President outlining the position assigned to you.
 

Process
1. You will complete the Decision to Drop the A-Bomb worksheet by analyzing the following  primary sources on the dropping of the Atomic Bomb
2. Your teacher will assign a position for you to defend.
3. You will then draft a letter to President Truman defending your position.

Resources
 
 

Document #1
Document #4
Document #7
Document #2
Document #5
Document #8
Document #3
Document #6
Document #9

 
Evaluation
Your teacher will grade you on the following:
Completion of the Decision to Drop the A-Bomb Worksheet
A Letter to President Truman where you will support your position and cite your sources. When using a specific point from one of the documents, the document title must be included within parenthesis immediately following the item.
 

Conclusion
After this assignment you will be able to:
* Plan and organize arguments
* Research and analyze the issue of the atomic bomb using technology
* Make decisions about a controversial issue
WebQuest Created by the Riverside Brookfield High School Social Studies Department March, 2002