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July and August 2008 Topics for Debate
Topic
# One: Use of the Atomic Bomb over Hiroshima and Nagasaki
August 6, 2008 will be the 63 year anniversary
of the destruction of the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The destruction of Hiroshima was partially our government's response
to the Pearl Harbor bombings by the Japanese, partially a test of our newest weapon of the time, as well as a bold act to
end the war with Japan. It is not known exactly the number of casualties, but an estimated 140,000 people died by the end
of 1945 as a result of the blast. Some were lucky enough to be vaporized instantly, leaving only their shadows imprinted on
the sidewalks or walls, while others had to suffer through radiation poisoning.
In your five paragraph response, evaluate
President Harry Truman's and our government's reasons for dropping the atomic bomb and come to your own informed coclusion
on whether or not the nuclear attack was an exessive measure or a necesary action. Before you begin your research and writing,
view THIS VIDEO reviewing the Allied Victory and the atomic bomb. Click on AP U.S. History II, scroll down to The Allied
Victory, click on START TOPIC, and play the presentation.
Topic # Two: The Genocide Olympics
This politically charged moniker for the 2008 Summer Olympics in China has been given to the Games on account of China's
dubious relations with Sudan and China's own human rights concerns including those pertaining to Tibet. As China's looks farward
to showcasing it's economic and technological growth in Beijing, many human right's groups and concerned governments see participation
in the 2008 Summer Games as sharing in or showing approval of China's brutal foreign and domestic policies.
In your
own five-paragraph essay, explore the following and come to your own coclusion:
- History of Olympic Boycotts - Soviet Union and United States: '80 and '84 Olympics
- China's current human rights issues and their international repercusions
- The Olympics as a positive impetus for nations to improve
These three areas of focus will provide you with sbjects for your three body paragraps. Your challenge
is to come up with a clear thesis wherein you link these ideas. An overarching question might be, should the United States
boycott the Olympics? Or, how might the Games prove a positive intrument for change in China?
Topic # Three: To Be Posted Soon
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