Lesson Plan #: AELP-WRH0209

Harry Truman on Trial - Unit Plan

An Educator's Reference Desk Lesson Plan

Submitted by: Thomas R. Scheira, Ph.D.
Email: trscheira@adelphia.net
School/University/Affiliation: D'Youville College, 320 Prospect Ave., Buffalo, New York 14201

Date: January 30, 2002

Grade Level: 11

Subject(s):

Description: Harry Truman stands on trial for crimes against humanity for his decision to drop the atomic bomb on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during the Second World War.

Unit Goals: Core Curriculum of NYS Social Studies, pages 145-146: Unit 6 ( http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/socst/pub/sscore2.pdf )

C. The United States in World War II

  1. Pearl Harbor
  2. The human dimensions of the war
    a. The “arsenal of democracy” (feats of productivity)
    f. Experiences of men and women in military service
  3. Allied strategy and leadership
  4. The atomic bomb
    a. The Manhattan Project (role of refugees)
    b. Truman’s decision to use the atomic bomb against Japan: Hiroshima and Nagasaki
    c. United States occupation of Japan; the “MacArthur constitution”
    d. Japanese war crime trials

Connections: (from Core Curriculum of NYS Social Studies)

Unit Objectives:
  1. Students will show an understanding of the unit plan on Harry Truman by outlining five key parts of the unit in their notebooks.
  2. Given material for their specific role in a skit judging Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb, students will list three facts and three supporting reasons for their viewpoints.
  3. Students will compose a rough draft of approximately 150 words stating their position on Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.
  4. Given the previous day’s rough draft, students will edit their paper into a final form of approximately 150 words which is to include at least three facts and three supporting reasons on their position regarding Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.
  5. In a class brainstorming session, students will list at least 10 reasons whether Harry Truman was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Students will refer to their notes and final paper.
  6. In a mock court trial determining whether President Harry S. Truman is guilty of war crimes for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two class representatives will state their arguments for guilt or innocence.
  7. Given various information and individual accounts, three members of the class (acting as a jury) will compose a one page decision determining if President Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb was a war crime.

Unit Assessment: Students will be evaluated in their ability to role-play each part assigned to them. They will be graded on the research of the role and the authenticity of each part in which they are to empathize with their assigned role. Each student will write a two-page document, which identifies their perspective and understanding of the implications of dropping the atomic bomb. Specifically, the military leaders will give specific facts why the bomb needed to be dropped. The family members and citizens will make arguments as to why the bomb should or should not have been dropped. The participants: Harry Truman, Douglas MacArthur, Secretary Marshall, Robert Oppenheimer, President of the American Legion, American Army private in Okinawa, American Sailor on a destroyer in Okinawa, parent of an American soldier, wife of an American sailor, Emperor Hirohito, Tojo, three different citizens of Japan (past and current), citizens of Switzerland and India, three members of an International Tribunal, a lawyer representing Harry Truman, and a prosecutor.

Procedure:

Day 1 :
Students will be assigned topics and then given web sites and other information about World War II to learn more about their specific role in the trial.

Instructional Objective:
Students will show an understanding of the unit plan on Harry Truman by outlining five key parts of the unit in their notebooks.

Materials:
See Internet Resources listed at the end of the lesson plan. (If computers are not available, students can research information in the library. As an alternative the teacher can download the pages of these web sites and make them available to students.)

Activity:
Give an overview of the topic and discuss the plan of the unit. Then place students into cooperative groups of four or five (depending on class size) and explain the students’ assignment. Assign each student a specific role (see list of roles in Unit Assessment ). Students will write a brief paragraph in their notebooks paraphrasing the role they will play in the overall assignment.

Evaluation:
In a brief paragraph, students will describe their participation in the overall unit assignment. Students should select five key parts of the unit to outline/describe in their notebooks.


 Day 2 :
Students will spend the entire class identifying reasons and supporting facts related to their assigned roles.

Instructional Objective:
Given material for their specific role in a skit judging Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb, students will list three facts and three supporting reasons for their viewpoints.

Materials:
Web sites from the previous day or information from classroom textbooks.

Activity:
State the purpose of the day’s class - for students to assimilate into their roles and decide whether they believe Truman should have dropped the bomb. The students will huddle into small groups and discuss each other’s information that they have gathered (from web sites or books). After the discussion, they will read their material and identify three facts and three supporting reasons for their viewpoints.

Evaluation:
Each student should have a list of three facts and three supporting reasons for their viewpoints.


Day 3 :
Students will begin and develop a rough draft of their paper.

Instructional Objective:
Students will compose a rough draft of approximately 150 words stating their position on Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.

Materials:
Notes from the previous day and web sites/classroom textbooks related to World War II.

Activity:
Explain the concept of a “rough draft,” which is the process of converting ideas and facts into essay form. Describe the basic parts of the writing process that include an opening paragraph, body, and concluding paragraph. Students will work in cooperative groups spending the majority of the class composing the paper. Assist students as needed. Remind students that group members can help one another.

Evaluation:
Students will draft a 150-word paper on their decision regarding Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.


Day 4 :
The final paper will be written in class.

Instructional Objective:
Given the previous day’s rough draft, students will edit their paper into a final form of approximately 150 words which is to include at least three facts and three supporting reasons on their position regarding Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.

Materials:
Students will use the previous day’s rough draft, a dictionary, thesaurus, and web sites/classroom textbooks related to World War II.

Activity:
Place the students into cooperative groups. They will edit a rough draft and convert the information into a final paper. Students will pair off and read each other’s paper, giving suggestions for improvement. Students will spend the rest of the class finalizing their paper.

Evaluation:
Students will compose a 150-word final draft of their decision regarding Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.


Day 5 :
Students will meet in groups with members of the Prosecution or Defense. Each student will compose one reason to support his or her side.

Instructional Objective:
In a class brainstorming session, students will list at least 10 reasons whether Harry Truman was justified in dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Materials:
Students will refer to their notes and final paper.

Activity:
Place students in groups of either supporting or renouncing Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb. From their final drafts, students will rank order their positions. Place the students who will act as defender or prosecutor of Harry Truman in the appropriate group. The lawyers will call on each member within their group. Students will identify themselves (who they are and their position). Each lawyer will compose a list stating 10 specific reasons for their client’s innocence or guilt.

Evaluation:
After a brainstorming session, a list will be compiled of at least 10 reasons for or against Harry Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb.


Day 6 :
In the first day of the trial, the lawyers will present three reasons to the tribunal. They will also call on specific witnesses to support their case.

Instructional Objective:
In a mock court trial determining whether President Harry S. Truman is guilty of war crimes for dropping the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, two class representatives will state their arguments for guilt or innocence.

Materials:
Student notes taken from the previous days' sessions.

Activity:
 State that the purpose of today’s class is to have a mock trial of Harry S. Truman. The class will be divided into their appropriate roles. The participants: Harry Truman, Douglas MacArthur, Secretary Marshall, Robert Oppenheimer, President of the American Legion, American Army private in Okinawa, American Sailor on a destroyer in Okinawa, parent of an American soldier, wife of an American sailor, Emperor Hirohito, Tojo, three different citizens of Japan (past and current), citizens of Switzerland and India, three members of an International Tribunal, a lawyer representing Harry Truman, and a prosecutor. The lawyers for the prosecution and the defense will call these individuals to the stand and ask them to state their testimony.

Evaluation:
Given various facts and supporting reasons, two class representatives (Prosecution and Defense) will state the most important reason for Truman’s innocence or guilt.


Day 7 :
Each tribunal member writes a one page response to the verdict.

Instructional Objective:
Given various information and individual accounts, three members of the class (acting as a jury) will compose a one page decision determining if President Harry S. Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb was a war crime.

Materials:
 Student notes, web sites, and textbooks related to World War II.

Activity:
 Call on various students and ask them to state the class activities of the past week. State that today is the culminating activity. Ask each member of the jury to read his or her “verdict” to the class. Then ask the class to write a one-paragraph reflection in their notes identifying three ideas that they learned through participation in this trial.

Evaluation:
Each student will write a one-paragraph reflection in their notes identifying three ideas they learned by participating in this trial.


Useful Internet Resources:

 * World War 2 Preservation Society
http://www.cybercreek.com/cybercity/WWIIps/

* World War 2 Veterans Website
http://ww2.vet.org/

* Children of the Camp
http://www.pbs.org/childofcamp/

* Manzanar Relocation camp
http://www.manzanar.com/

* Songs of Survival
http://www.whitecloudpress.com/books/song.html

* Douglas MacArthur
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/macarthur/

* Robert Oppenheimer
http://www.ceptualinstitute.com/genre/oppenheimer.htm

* American Merchant Marine Men and Ships and World War 2
http://www.usmm.org/men_ships.html

* Japan’s War Crimes
http://vikingphoenix.com/public/JapanIncorporated/1895-1945/jpwcrmz.htm