Neel Nagappala & Shreyan Maini

The Moral Debate on the Use of the Atomic Bomb

Word Count: 494

Process Paper
While searching for a topic for National History Day, we stumbled across a couple of war-related
topics we could possibly choose from. We found some on Japanese interment camps in the U.S. SALT l
and ll, and some others. Once top I that stood out to us was the atomic bomb used in World War ll. We
looked further into it and found out about how to this day people still debate if it was right or not to use
the bombs, if it was following the “rules” of war, and if it was worth creating thousands of casualties of
innocent people. We looked through the internet and found multiple different perspectives of the use of
the atomic bomb. After discovering more about the topic, we decided that it would be a great topic that
would interest us and others and would relate to the theme of “Debate and Diplomacy”.

We conducted our research by looking into primary and secondary sources. We used databases,
books, websites, etc. We wanted to show all views and perspectives from the war and what people
thought of the bomb. We learned about the devastations the bombs created, hurting thousands of
people, and obliterating the landscapes of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The atomic bomb was a
weapon of mass destruction, the most powerful at the time. Even after the war ended, more conflicts
grew, with the Cold War between the U.S. and the USSR. Once the Internet was created, multiple polls
were then available to show people’s viewpoints. This data was very useful for showing how people’s
thought of the bomb has changed over time. We incorporated all this information in a neat, eye-
catching, and educational way into our website along with pictures and quotes to help expand the
readers knowledge and imagination.

We chose to do a website for our presentation because we wanted to express our information
through words, pictures, videos, and quotes. Using a website would clearly be better than the other
options because of how neat and organized they are. It is easy to access certain information, it is very
easy to read, and fun to look at. Websites are also easier for us because we could both access it at the
same time even if we weren’t with each other at the current time. The website is also more fun to work
with, as we can experiment with it and find cool, new things to add to it.

The Moral Debate on the Use of the Atomic Bomb may not have the largest impact on the world
because it is not diplomatic. The bomb did, however, end the war. The atomic bombs themselves have
impacted our world in major, major ways. The bomb changed the tide of the biggest war in human
history. We can only stand in awe of the creation and destruction that ties to the atomic bomb.