This past week was the 75th anniversary of the United States dropping atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. History.com has provided before-and-after pictures of both cities that show the utter devastation these weapons inflicted. It is estimated that the bombs killed over 100,000 people. The necessity and morality of using the atomic bombs are still being debated today, as our list of curated articles attests. At The Federalist, Joshua Lawson argues that President Harry Truman made the right call in a “near-impossible decision” by directing the bombs to be dropped in August of 1945. “The final major events of World War II,” Lawson writes, “remind us that in global conflicts, obvious decisions are few, bloodless victories are rare, and wars must be waged to secure peace as quickly as possible.” Classicist and historian Victor Davis Hanson agrees that though Truman faced “a terrible choice,” dropping the bombs helped hasten the end of the war and ultimately saved “millions of lives.” On the opposing side of this question is historian Paul Ham. In two articles at History News Network, he contends that the atomic bombs represented a new front of the U.S.’s campaign of “conventional terror bombing of Japanese civilians” under the direction of General Curtis LeMay. Ham also notes that the bombs served another purpose: displaying to Soviet Russia the fearsome power the United States possessed, thereby beginning the Cold War. Overall, he argues the Soviet invasion of Manchuria—not the bombs—caused Japan’s surrender. In the News Shaun Rieley, RealClearPolitics Joshua Lawson, The Federalist Paul Ham, History News Network Madison Horne, History.com Jeffrey Sikkenga, Columbus Dispatch Sarah Williams, Daily Signal Robert Wedge, American Thinker John Bicknell, Law & Liberty Katharine Gorka, Daily Signal Richard Lim, History News Network Aaron N. Coleman, Law & Liberty Yaya J. Fanusie, 1776 Unites John McWhorter, Education Next Cornelius Sullivan, Boston Herald FBI Michael Warren, Patriot Lessons What is the foundation for just government? What is the social compact? Learn why the Founders believed... Thomas Krannawitter & Lucas Morel, Heritage Foundation America is at a pivotal time in the history of our nation. Our country is torn apart by sharp disagreement on what it means to be an American. Many have forgotten... Fred Lucas & Jarrett Stepman, Right Side of History As mobs push to tear down statues of George Washington across the country, author John Berlau points out... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories 08/07/2020 It's Friday, Aug. 7, 2020, the day of the week when I reprise instructive or inspirational quotations. Today's concerns Joseph ... 08/06/2020 On this date in 1945, the United States Army dropped an ordnance of unprecedented destructive power on the bustling Japanese ... 08/05/2020 On this date seven years ago, in a private White House ceremony, President Obama hosted a reception for Negro League ... 08/04/2020 On this date 115 years ago, while on a road trip to Boston, the shorthanded Cleveland Indians signed a local ... 08/03/2020 On this date in U.S. history, the presidency passed in the middle of the night to Calvin Coolidge as he slept ... |