Firebombing

The complex and often bigoted history of the United States earned the nation considerable amounts of respect and success that numerous other countries have been attempting to earn for decades. However, one cannot ignore the many troubling times that America and its inhabitants encountered before earning such a venerated title. As Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, “Remember, remember always that all Of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists” (Roosevelt). This…

A DUTY DANCE WITH DEATH Kurt Vonnegut’s life was defined by his experiences in the Second World War. In particular, he was affected most by his sentence as a prisoner of war in Dresden, Germany. While in Dresden, he witnessed the most appalling and unpleasant aspects of human life. Vonnegut survived a barrage of incendiary bombs dropped by Allied forces on Dresden which killed approximately 135,000 innocent civilian lives. Of course, the visions that Vonnegut had of Dresden after emerging from…

During the late 1900’s, an individual’s DNA and their character as a whole, was used interchangeably. Races were thought to have different blood, with White’s blood being superior to African American’s “dirty” blood. Blood, literally, signed a person’s name, along with who they were altogether. White supremacy dictated society’s minds, even if they tried to resist it. Meanwhile, African Americans gradually began to take a stand and fight for the equal treatment they deserved. While the Civil…

General Curtis LeMay: “Iron Ass” Grenade The Second World War held the developments as well as progress in technology that came as a result of the lessons learned in the First World War. However, the area with the most improvement was in the effectiveness of airpower. Airpower had previously been used for reconnaissance and photography. It was only towards the end of World War I that the technology to fit planes with guns and artillery was developed so it did not have much strategic effect on…

around the world where fascinated by these unseen monsters, but they would not fully step into the light until The Great War. When looking back at history, most will agree that The Great War changed the art of war. Airplanes, firebombing, automated weaponry, and trenches changed the way humanity saw war. It was only fitting that during this time of upheaval that chemical weapons to have their moment. Though it is often thought that the Germans were the first to use chemical weapons during…

As the second World War was drawing to a close in the Pacific theater, the United States ultimately decided to use its new weapon that they have been developing in the top-secret Manhattan Project, the atomic bomb, on Japan on August 6th, 1945. The United States, including Truman and top military officials such as Secretary of War Stimson, opted to use the weapon for a variety of reasons including drawing the war to a quick end. While the U.S. ultimately used nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and…

The nuclear attack of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not justifiable. Due to the fact that the Japanese government was already in the verge of surrendering to the American government.. Also the nuclear bombing was used for several causes, one of which was to cause fear to both the Japanese and Soviet governments. Finally, the bombing of both major cities in Japan caused many deaths, which were not strategic, nor useful towards the war. Throughout World War II the United States and its allies,…

POW train, and Edgar Derby who is shot by firing squad after looting the possessions of dead Germans after the bombing of Dresden. Billy knew all of these men, and as mentioned above, Billy witnessed first-hand the murder of thousands during the firebombing. In the novel the phrase, “so it goes” is repeated every time there is a death, which is significant in supporting the theme of anti-war. The phrase equalizes all death and makes it seem insignificant. In reality, death is emotional and very…

In the year 1945, the Decision of dropping both Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombs on Japan took place. President Harry S. Truman took control and made a purely military decision to keep the United States safe. President Truman was afraid if nothing was done, then the war against Japan would be lost and many American deaths would be on his hands. Hiroshima was dropped and killed thousands of Japanese people and destroying buildings. Three days later, they dropped the second bomb on Nagasaki,…

7.1 How do societies rank people in social hierarchies? The ranking of people into various “classes” is a common practice in many of the world’s cultures. While these social rankings are practiced throughout the world, they can vary widely depending on each society’s cultural values. The text provides a familiar example in the form of the American social class system. On the surface, it is plain to see that much of American society is focused on income and material possessions. Additional…