One of America's Longest Historical Debates

In early November, the eighth grade social studies classes of Oak Lawn Hometown Middle School began to research the two Atomic Bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan on August 6th and 9th, 1945.

Students had to research the pros and cons of the decision to drop the atomic bomb and decide whether President Harry Truman was justified in his decision or not. Previous to this, the students had to create political cartoons relating to a topic of World War II, including the two Atomic Bombs. This allowed a portion of the students to already form an opinion about the topic and to gain background knowledge.

Students were encouraged to go into this project with an open mind and form their claims after they gathered all of their evidence. By reading several articles and collecting research, the students were able to build their view on the dropping of the two atomic bombs. 


Using the research they found, all students took part in a Mock Trial surrounding President Harry Truman’s decision. The students had to prove whether President Truman was justified or unjustified for dropping the atomic bombs on Japan. The students each had to pick a role, either on the prosecuting side or on the defense side. Each courtroom had two prosecuting attorneys, two defense attorneys, a judge, jury moderator and several witnesses for both sides.

Some of these roles include Emperor Hirohito, Adolf Hitler, citizens of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a religious leader, and USSR leader, Stalin, all of which are trying to prove that President Harry Truman was not justified with his decision to drop the bombs. Several of the witnesses trying to defend President Truman and prove that he was justified with his decision included, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Albert Einstein, the General in charge of the Manhattan Project, a widow of a soldier from Pearl Harbor, and the pilot of the Enola Gay. Each witness explained their role in World War Two, their point of view and the impact that dropping the Atomic Bomb had on them.

The final word on whether President Harry Truman was guilty in his decision or not was up to the jury, a group of seventh graders, who had the ability to end one of the longest historical debates. 



Written by: 8th grade students: Isabelle G & Kendallyn J