Ramienski: 070506 MWH U7 LPMC Truman’s Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb Rubric
Student First and Last Names: ______Seat number: ______
Period: ______
Date: ______
(Fill out fully or lose 10 points)
Modern World History
Unit 7
Harry Truman
and
The Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb
Value: 100 Points (Test grade)Issued: Monday 1 June 2015
Due by 2:30pm, Monday, 8 June 2015
If turned in by 2:30pm, Tuesday, 9 June 2015, -50 points
Essay’s will not be accepted after 10 June 2015
NO EXCUSES
Overall concept:Many historians would state that President Truman’s decision to drop the Atomic Bomb on Japan ended World War II in the Pacific as well as strengthened the US against a growing threat of a new enemy, the Soviet Union. The United States is the only nation on Earth to use nuclear weapons. Even today, the decision is considered controversial. Tens of thousands of people died either as a direct result of the bombing or from the effects of nuclear fallout and radiation.
Project Description: First, you will provide a brief biography of Truman and his path to the Presidency.Second, your essay will then analyze Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb, determine whether it was the best possible decision to make to end the war against Japan. Third and finally, you will determine whether Truman’s decision actually strengthened the US against the growing threat of the Soviet Union or determine that this decision helped to cause the “Cold War” between the US and USSR.
Value: The grade that you receive on this essay will be added to the grade that you receive on the selected response portion of the Unit 7 Test-that will be your unit 7 test grade.
Grading Rubric
1. General Directions Followed Not Followed
a. The project was the student’s own work and not plagiarized or copied
in any way(Failure to follow this direction will result in an automatic failure)______
b. Your essay will have this grading sheet attached.
(Failure to do this will result in a loss of 20 points)______
c. You will research this topic using the Internet, books and the textbook.
(You must list all sources used in a bibliography and reference the
books with footnotes)______
d. Your will hand in an outline with the essay. The outline will indicate
your main points, introduction and conclusion. This will be neat and not
scribbled or ripped out of a note book______
e. Your essay will be a minimum of five paragraphs long.______
f. Your essay will include an introduction and a summarizing conclusion.______
g. Your essay will be grammatically correct, spellchecked, and PROOFREAD______
h. Youressay will be typed, and not ripped out of a notebook.
(Use Times New Roman or Arial 10 to 12 pt)______
i. You will hand in any worksheets you were given to do at the media center.______
j. Your “project” will be put together: Rubric, Outline, Essay, Bibliography,
Worksheet-it will be stapled upper left corner-once. ______
k. Your essay will be historically accurate- no errors of fact ______
You will lose 10points off your final score for each general direction c through knot followed.
TURN the PAGE >
2. Specific Directions:
A. Title (11)YesNoPoints Earned
1. Did the essay have a title? (1 point)______
2. Did the essay contain a picture of the person? (5 points)______
3. Did the essay have any other illustrations, or maps that
enhanced the information being presented? (5 points)______
B. Truman’s Path to the Presidency (31)
4. Did the essay provide Truman’s birth and death dates? (3 points)______
5. Did the essay provide Truman’s place of birth and death? (3 points)______
6. Did the essay discuss Truman’s family? (5 points)______
(Was he married? Were there children?)
7. Did the essay discuss Truman’s early life? (5 points) ______
8. Did the essay discuss Truman’s service in World War I? (5 points)______
9. Did the essay discuss Truman’s political career prior
to becoming President? (5 points)______
10. Did the essay specifically discuss how Truman became Vice
President and then President? (5 points)______
C. Analysis of Truman’s Decision (28)
11. Did the essay discuss the state of the US war effort
against Japan during the last months of the war? (5 points)______
12. Did the essay discuss Truman’s options for
ending the war against Japan? (Invasion) (5 points)______
13. What advice did Truman receive against
dropping the bomb? (5 points)______
14. What advice did Truman receive supporting
the dropping of the bomb? (5 points)______
15. Specifically, how was the Atomic Bomb “dropped”
on Japan? (4 points)______
16. What were the results of the bombing? How many people
died? How did radiation affect the Japanese? (4 points)______
D. Analysis of the Results (20)
17. After examining books, and information on the Internet,
do historians believe that the decision to drop the bomb
helped to end the war in the Pacific? (5 points)______
18. What did the Soviet Union’s leadership-Stalin specifically-
know about US attempts to build a bomb? (5 points)______
19. Were the Soviets attempting to build their own
Atomic Bomb? (3 points)______
20. After examining books, and information on the Internet,
do historians believe that the US use of nuclear weapons
affected Soviet policies and or decisions in the post World War II
World? (2 points)______
21. Specifically provide examples of this influence. (5 points)______
E. Your Opinion (10)
22. Did you give me YOUR OPINION about
Truman’s decision? (5 points)______
23. Did you give me your opinion about the effect this
decision had on the Soviet Union? Did this decision fuel the tensions
leading to the Cold War? Or did it put the US in a stronger position in
relation to the Soviet Union? (5 points)______
You can address the directions in any order that you want. You must address all directions in your essay.