Do Now

1) What would make the United States drop the nuclear bomb?

2) How do you think other countries would react when they found out that the United States had such a powerful

bomb?

Reminders

• News Article Analysis due FRIDAY!

Agenda

• Day 1- Take Notes• Day 2- Complete Activity

9.10- Atomic Bomb

Defeating Japan

• President Roosevelt died a month before the defeat of Germany.

• Vice President Harry S. Truman became president.• November 24, 1944- American bombs fell on

Tokyo but would often miss their targets.• American military leaders decided to invade Iwo

Jima because it was closer to Japan.• February 19, 1945- 60,000 American Marines

landed on Iwo Jima and 6,800 lost their lives.

Bombing Japan

• Americans started filling bombs with napalm and dropping them on Japan.

• These bombs not only exploded but also started fires.

• The risk of killing civilians with these bombs made them very controversial.

• The Tokyo firebombing killed over 80,000 people and destroyed more than 250,000 building.

Refusal to Surrender

• Japan refused to surrender even with the devastating bombings.

• June 22, 1945- US captures Okinawa losing 12,000 Americans soldiers.

• This gave the US a place to stockpile supplies and troops.

Nuclear Weapons

• The Manhattan Project began to build the atomic bomb for the US.

• On July 16, 1945- the first atomic bomb was detonated in New Mexico.

• President Truman felt it was his duty to use every weapon available to save American lives- even the nuclear bomb.

Decision to Drop

• The Allies threatened Japan with “utter destruction” but got no response.

• The US estimated that if they invaded Japan it would cost 1.7- 4 million American casualties and the Japanese would suffer 10 million casualties.

• August 6, 1945- an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima.

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

• Tens of thousands of people died instantly.• Thousands later died of burns and radiation

sickness.• August 9- The US dropped another atomic

bomb on Nagasaki killing between 35,000 and 74,000 people.

• Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945- • V-J Day- “Victory in Japan”.

Guided Practice

• 1) Read the text.• 2) Complete the graphic organizer

Independent Practice• 1) Answer the open-ended question using

your graphic organizer.

Homework

• News Article Analysis due FRIDAY!

Exit Ticket

• 1) Why did the US drop a nuclear weapon on Japan?• 2) Were they justified in doing

so?