QUESTION 2. Did America’s conduct of World War II uphold the “Good War” hypothesis that the war united the American people with a clear, widely shared moral purpose, and that Americans fought the war in a noble and heroic manner? Evidence: Draw on the following readings: Bess (at least three different chapters), Iwo Jima reading (March 26), “Making the American Consensus” (April 16), and “Swing Goes to War”, and any other readings you think would help you build a strong argument. The Americans and Japanese both fought valiantly for their country but Americans never saw suicide as acceptable tactics the way the Japanese did. Stark contrasts in both cultural and political aspects of warfare showcases the fundamentally different ways soldiers conducted themselves in times the outlook seemed bleak. Kamikaze divers were prevalent during World War II and their readiness to die in order to take out a target never ceased to astound Allied troops since “there was something alien and repugnant to an American in this act of deliberate self-immolation” (Bess). True, many times a soldier fighting for the USA would face unsurmountable odds whether it be Battle of Midway or Battle of Leyte but the difference between the two cultures is the way they chose to fight the battle. Americans refused to give up and adamantly fought any way they could to secure a victory however unlikely or slim the odds were. Any idea of suicide is considered abhorrent in Western culture because it violates the basic human principle of humanistic principles. Sacrificing oneself to save a life is way different than committing suicide in order to fulfill a military objective. To purposely give up one’s life in order to achieve victory is a tactic Americans would rarel... ... middle of paper ... ...olved in the raid. The city was not attacked as retribution for earlier German bombing raids on cities such as Rotterdam and Coventry, either. In revenge for the destruction of these cities, bombed ruthlessly by the Luftwaffe in 1940, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and countless other German towns big and small had already paid dearly in 1942, 1943, and 1944. Furthermore, by the beginning of 1945, the Allied commanders knew perfectly well that even the most ferocious bombing raid would not succeed in “terrorizing [the Germans] into submission,”[2] so that it is not realistic to ascribe this motive to the planners of the operation. The bombing of Dresden, then, seems to have been a senseless slaughter, and looms as an even more terrible undertaking than the atomic obliteration of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which is at least supposed to have led to the capitulation of Japan.
Masooma Alsultan representing race paper 1 March 20,2014 The mysterious identity of Japanese American and Mexican American After the United States had gained its independence, immigrants began to arrive to the American lands. And in the late 1800s the immigrants’ situation has changed. Many Americans started to look at the immigrants, as that they are different. The Industrial factions moderators viewed immigrants as a source of good revenue and considered them as that they were cheap labors. Then
forces of the Empire of Japan." The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour US naval base left the nation reeling in shock. For the past 3 years and even before, the United States had succeeded in keeping out of the war in Europe and the Pacific. Then, all of a sudden, the country was in the throes of a second world war, one that had scarred many nations already. The war had ravaged most of Europe and the American people feared a similar fate. Many Japanese-American citizens inhabited the island of Hawaii
played a major historical role in World War II by galvanizing US support against the Axis. Previously, the US had generally supported Britain but was dissuaded by public opinion from direct involvement. By attacking the United States at Pearl Harbor, Japan brought America into the war. President Roosevelt knew beforehand that something somewhere would happen, but Congress and the American people balked at entering the war. Japan's attempt was to destroy American naval power in the Pacific figuring it
Much of the knowledge we believe as accurate facts today is susceptible to being exchanged for new facts in the future. In history, knowledge is considered historical facts. In the human sciences, knowledge refers to scientific findings from that are considered scientific laws, theories, and behaviors. As time progresses, more research and analysis is conducted in history and the human sciences to ensure that the knowledge we “accept” today are accurate, correct in all details. If experts in each
internment of Japanese Americans during WWII was a clear example of mass hysteria that permeated the United States during the dark days of WWII. After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor many Americans believed that the Japanese were disloyal and were associated with the enemy. There were rumors that the Japanese Americans were exchanging military information and had hidden connections. The U.S became increasingly paranoid causing a question to arise, is this really because the Japanese were truly spies
legacies of Japanese internment on the Japanese community through the viewpoints of many characters. Three of those characters, Itchiro Yamada, Kenji Kanno, and Mrs. Yamada, Itchiro’s mother, each possess different views on the impacts of internment on the their lives, as each played a different role. Itchiro was a no-no boy, Kenji was a yes-yes boy, and Mrs. Yamada was an interned Japanese woman. Itchiro Yamada, the protagonist of the novel, was a no-no boy, something referring to two questions on a loyalty
Prologue While coming up with a topic for this paper, one of my questions dealt with war and cultural groups. I will be the first to admit, Racism was the last thing on my mind. The original question being, “How does war affect a Social Culture and how does it stand today?” When I started thinking about Cultures that had been so deeply affected by war, one of the first that came to mind were the Japanese in World War II. Then I recalled what one person had told me of their younger days at college
Japanese Internment The Virtual Museum Of The City Of San Francisco has established a great source for those interested in studying the internment of Japanese during World War II. This topic is reflected very accurately and fairly in the archives of the museum because the archives consist of primary documents. Their archives of original newspaper articles are the basis of this research document. The content listed on the museum’s web site is very relevant to the topic of Japanese internment
throughout history that have shown civil liberties being taken away from people. America still dedicates a day every year to a man who killed and nearly eradicated an entire race of people. Christopher Columbus is honored with a national holiday in his name. The attack on Pearl Harbor is taught to every child in the American school system, but Japanese Internment during World War 2 is taught in significantly less schools, and not until middle school. The government was suspicious of all Japanese-Americans
The Atomic Question The United States heralded in the Atomic Era with the use of the atomic bomb on Japan, which would forever change the world. Was the United States correct to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end the Second World War? The answer is not as clear as one might think. There were many sides that led to the decision to drop the bombs on Japan. President Truman on the day he took office was approached by the Secretary of War Stimson and was informed of a new type of
Purpose of the Vietnam War The Vietnam War was the longest and most expensive war in American History. The toll we paid wasn't just financial, it cost the people involved greatly, physically and mentally. This war caused great distress and sadness, as well as national confusion. Everyone had that one burning question being why? Why were we even there? The other question being why did America withdrawal from Vietnam. The purpose of this paper is to answer these two burning questions, and perhaps add
The social climate in California was very unwelcoming to non-American immigrants from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s. Racial prejudice against Asian immigrants began during the Gold Rush in California in 1848. Japanese immigrants were heavily recruited in the mining industry, however this caused hostility among the whites and Californios; with a more diverse population competition increased causing a white mans job to be taken, old miners were pushed out and for the first time California Indians
Battle that saved Australia, was a series of battles in which the Japanese fought the Australian and Americas for control over Port Moresby. Had the Japanese been successful in taking over Port Moresby, Australia would have been under serious threat. This was a significant event in Australian History because it was the first time the Australian Nation had been threatened by invasion. This was a significant event in Australian History because as it was a time to reflect upon those who put others lives
officially declare war on Japan. During the war, there was a proposal of an atomic bomb landing over Hiroshima and Nagasaki to finalize the war. To this day there is still controversy that if that atomic bomb was actually necessary to end the war, because of the number of innocent casualties suffered from the Japanese. The aim of this investigation is to answer the question: To what extent was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki necessary to end the war with Japan? To answer this question, the investigation
5. Americans pride themselves on the idea that they live in a country that embodies the ideals of democracy and freedom for all. Can the Cold War moment of McCarthyism, the fervent pursuit of Communist sympathizers in the United States, and the accompanying suppression of civil liberties be reconciled with this tradition of the “land of the free”? Does it represent an anomaly? Or is it one example of many in which the freedom of individual Americans has been (needlessly) sacrificed to protect