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Estheffani Rodriguez

Laubscher pd. 5

U.S. History

May 3rd 2018

Hiroshima and Nagasaki

On August 6th and on August 9th the United States detonated both Hiroshima and Nagasaki,

killing thousands of innocent people. Thousands of innocent lives were lost because of this terrible

act. The cities again were never going to be the same because of the destruction that was caused.

The worst part was that the United states didn’t have to drop the bombs, they could’ve fixed their

problems another way. Many lives and homes could’ve been saved. The conflicts that went on

between the United States and Japan didn’t have to effect the lives of innocent people, especially

with something like this.

The atomic bomb on Japan was one of the single most deadliest weapons in all history.

“This is not war...this is not even murder; this is pure nihilism.” (Times 4) The United States

thought that this would make them look superior but in reality it made them look like terrible

people. They took the lives of many people and now carry that with them. “Wars cannot be won

by destroying women and children.” (Leahy 2) The nuclear weapon not only destroyed their homes

and take away their jobs but it also destroyed people that had no partake. Furthermore, many lives

were lost, innocent ones especially. If it wasn’t for the united states, these deaths wouldn’t have

happened. There are many ways to solve problems and I don’t believe this was one.

The effects of the bombing are still being felt by the Japanese. “Hiroshima was no longer

a city but a burned over prairie.” (Hachiya 6) Over a third of the 50,000 buildings were destroyed

or severely damaged. Many people lost jobs and their homes. “The view where a moment before
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all had been so bright and sunny are now dark and hazy…what had happened?” (Hachiya 6) Japan

was hit in all different directions. As I stated before, they lost their homes and jobs but they were

also getting sick. Ever since the war, the rates of diseases were going up dramatically. They spent

a lot of time trying to clear up all the fatalities that were created by the bomb.

Winning the war was the only thing the United states wanted. They won the war before

even dropping the bomb. “The use of the barbarous weapons at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of

no material assistance in our war against Japan.” (Leahy 2) Leahy explains that use of the atomic

bomb had nothing to do with them at the end of the war. It was just a ‘toy’ and they were being

used as guinea pigs. They simply wanted an opportunity to use it. “The Japanese were already

defeated and ready to surrender. (Leahy 2) The Japanese government was already trying to

negotiate surrender. Historians yet don’t have a definitive answer to who the bomb was dropped.

In conclusion, there was never a need for the bomb to be dropped because the Japanese government

was already getting ready to surrender.

All of the effects that happened because of one powerful and deadly weapon will always

be something that’s remembered throughout time. So many lives could’ve been saved and so much

damage could’ve been prevented. The bombing left people scared for their lives. At the end of the

day, the war was one but many lives were lost and so much damage was done without a good

enough reason.