Anti-American or Just American History

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The Enola Gay is a Boeing B-29 Super fortress bomber that became the first aircraft to drop an atomic bomb. The bomb was targeted at the city of Hiroshima, Japan, and caused extraordinary destruction. Enola Gay participated in the second atomic attack that was intended to be on Kokura but due to weather conditions it resulted in Nagasaki being bombed instead. According to Merriam-Webster the definition of anti-American is being opposed or hostile to the people or the government policies of the United States. It has been said that the planned Enola Gay exhibit at the Smithsonian museum was “anti-American” and that it was right to be aborted. I do not agree with this statement because the Enola Gay is a part of America’s history and whether good or bad it should be shared. In 1939 World War II began in Europe and ended in 1945. The cause of the war was because of the Nazi Germany invasion on Poland. In 1945, Japan surrendered which terminated the war. Prior to World War II happening in Europe, it began in Asia in the early 1930s. Asia’s participation in the war was due to the Japanese intervention camps in China. World War II was the largest armed war ever to exist due to the size and involvement. The use of nuclear weapons resulted in the death count for the war to be the highest ever. The Enola Gay exhibit was a way for Americans to understand the history of World War II. The exhibit had a clear narrative and purpose. The Enola Gay was “credited by many with ending a war of unparalleled ferocity, saving countless American lives, and bringing peace to a war-weary world.” Many thought this would be a great thing to have on display because of the meaning and honor it has for Americans. Although, not all good things came out of the... ... middle of paper ... ...ken in the present to understand why things should changes. The Enola Gay exhibition causes a lot of controversy and because of this it makes it a hard topic to discuss. The exhibit would have included history that needs to be released to the public but unfortunately has not been. “Americans like to think that they are capable of looking at their own history soberly, that they have avoided the snares of trivializing, sanitizing, and sanctifying the past into which other nations have fallen.” This statement has been proven throughout the Enola Gay exhibit because it was and still is extremely hard for Americans to talk about. Works Cited "Anti-American." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 4 May 2014. . Linenthal, Edward T. and Tom Engelhardt. “History Wars.” New York: Holt Paperbacks, 1996

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