One of the single most catastrophic and important decisions ever made was the
decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The effects were felt by
many, and are still being felt today. The decision to drop the bombs was a result of many
years of bloody fighting in World War II, and America's quick and easy solution of
The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941, forced the
reluctant entry of the United States into World War II. Many years of fighting followed
both in the Pacific, and in Europe. After the defeat of the German forces in Europe,
America now turned its attention towards Japan. The United States then fought a hard
and bloody trail going from island to island in hopes of eventually making it to, and
defeating Japan. The path was long, and Japan proved to be a very formidable foe
making the war very difficult to say the least. The United States eventually made its way
all the way up to Okinawa, a very strategic island off the coast of Japan. This island
allowed Americans access to fly bombing missions based from land. The Americans also
did just that. After many months of bombing though, we soon realized that another
solution was needed so we turned towards science for the answer.
The answer lied in what is known as the atomic bomb; a bomb capable of
flattening whole cities at a time, and causing mass devastation. After Roosevelt died, the
decision was left up to Harry Truman to make: either drop the bombs or don't. Much
consideration went into the decision. In the end, we estimated one million more
American lives would be lost if the war was fought the traditional way, so we decided to
drop the bombs; a move that ended World War II.
The decision to drop the bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima played a great role in
our history. Many American lives were sa
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