Kendra Cobb
College Preparatory English
Dr. Watkins
Research Paper
February 28, 2017
College Preparatory English
Dr. Watkins
Research Paper
February 28, 2017
The Start of Nuclear Weapons
Today weapons are just continuing to get bigger and more powerful. The discovery of nuclear energy changed the way society viewed weapons. The government started a top secret mission to create new bigger and better nuclear weapons. Although the use of these nuclear weapons caused some negative effects, there were some positive effects also. The use of nuclear weapons cause negative effects on human bodies and an individual’s thoughts on the government; however, the use of these weapons helped make advancements in technology.
For hundreds of years there was not one person that thought that America would become one of the most powerful countries in the world just because of a weapon.In the mid 1900s scientist had been doing tests and studies that had to do with chemical bonds. In the article “Nuclear Weapons” written by Lemer et al., they discuss how these nuclear weapons could get their power: “Chemical explosives get their power from the rapid rearrangement of chemical bonds, the links between atoms made by sharing electrons” (Lemer et al. par 14). The discovery of this new energy intrested the government. The President at the time was Franklin D. Roosevelt, and he decided he wanted to be the first country to build an atomic weapon. Doreen Gonzales who is the author of The Manhattan Project and the Atomic Bomb in American History said that “This job was given to the Army Corps of Engineers, the division of the army that directs engineering tasks” (Gonzales 33). The United States Army started contacting college professors to come work on this project. The army did not tell them what the project was until they had committed to helping. There were hundreds of professors who were also asked to help with specific parts of this plan.
After the discovery of nuclear energy the government decided that building a bomb would be a good idea. The government decided to complete the bomb with the utmost secrecy and they called it the Manhattan Project. Gonzales wrote that even Franklin Roosevelt’s Vice President Harry Truman did not know about the project: “Hours later, Vice President Harry Truman was sworn in as the new president. He later said that, at that moment, he felt as if "the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen" on him. Yet he still had know knowledge of the Manhattan Project” (Gonzales 68). Only President Roosevelt and a select few other government officials knew what was going on. Many individuals were involved in the process of making and creating this deadly weapon but most of them did not know what they were a part of (Gonzales 33). The officials who knew about the project had to keep it a secret from not only the citizens in America but also the other countries. Steve Sheinkin, author of Bomb: the Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, says “Americans continued shipping weapons to the Soviets, but the atomic bomb remained a secret” (Sheinkin 103-4). Once the citizens of America found out about what the government had been doing they were upset and scared. After the bomb had been made they set specific dates and locations where the weapons would be tested. The United States was one of the first countries to test and use nuclear weapons. The testings of these nuclear weapons caused many effects in the United States.
When the government tested the newly discovered nuclear weapons in the mid 1900s, there were a number of effects that had impacted the American population; some of those effects came from the radiation that was produced from the bomb and the other nuclear weapons that were tested. The radiation caused the cells of numerous individuals to be affected, which lead to cancer. The fragments of radiation that continued to linger in the air after the nuclear weapons were tested were called fallout. These particle fragments would cause damage to cells if an individual had been unprotected from the fallout (“Testing Times; Radiation” par 3). Studies found that the individuals who were exposed to fallout had more than double the amount of radioactive strontium-90 that is found in the individuals who were not exposed (“Atomic Bomb Testing Blamed for More Cancers” par 4). There were individuals who did not know they had been affected by strontium-90 until decades after the testings took place. The strontium-90 caused a deadly cancer in those who were affected, yet there were some who were not affected at all. An example would be John H Vanston, he is the author of “Just Another Weapon.” Vanston was in the Army and was commanded to be on the site where they tested the nuclear weapon. Vanston says, “At present I am in great health and, to the best of my knowledge, I have suffered no ill effects from Apple II or my other work in the field” (Vanston par 16). Even though he has not had any long term health effects, he was still exposed to the same amount of radiation as the others who were on the site.
The radiation from the trials of these powerful weapons affected more than just the human body, but the radiation also could have possibly affected the world as a whole. The areas where the weapons were tested were not the only places that were affected. According to Lemer et al., “The effects of fires and destruction following a large-scale nuclear war might even change the climate of the planet” (Lemer et al. par 27). There are many who do not know that radiation can have a considerably large effect on the world, not just isolated testing places. There were families who were hundreds of miles away from the testing sites and were still affected. Victoria Sherrow discussed how the nuclear weapons effected in her book The Making of the Atom Bomb. As Sherrow states, “Fallout traveled through the atmosphere hundreds of miles beyond isolated nuclear test sites and affected the air, water, and soil” (Sherrow 97). Those who did not know much about nuclear weapons and radiation thought that radiation could just cause cancer and not travel through the air and cause a countless number of other issues.
Along with causing cancer and climate change, the making and testing of these powerful weapons frightened the citizens of American and several other countries. The government had to create the bomb in secret to keep other countries from discovering the power that nuclear weapons obtained. Once the Americans found out about nuclear weapons they were terrified at the amount of power that America and other countries would have. David Rezelman states in his article “Nuclear Weapons” that “Many feared that the next world war would result in the literal extinction of humankind, and to witnesses of two world wars in the space of three decades, a third world war seemed a virtual inevitability” (Rezelman par 2). This caused the American population to wonder what other information and discoveries the government was keeping secret. As the word of nuclear weapons spread and counties began to build these dangerous weapons, and individuals were becoming more and more nervous for what was to come in the future. After the testing America dropped a bomb in Hiroshima, Japan to try and put a stop to the war (Rezelman par 2). Americans were constantly worrying that other countries would drop bombs on the United States. Sherrow goes on to explains that the citizens in America were scared that they were going to have to go through what Japan did when the US dropped the bomb on Hiroshima (Sherrow 100). The Americans wanted the government to stop using bombs. They were scared of what the United States, along with the other countries, was going to do with the power that the nuclear weapons provided.
Furthermore, another effect of testing the nuclear weapons would be the physical damage at the test sites and the cities where the United States had dropped nuclear weapons. The test sites as well as the cities were left in complete ruins. The explosion caused an unbearable amount of heat and shook the ground. Sheinkin goes on to explain how the heat that came off the explosion was hot enough to vaporize the steel structure that had the bomb (Sheinkin 187). This proved that nuclear weapons were dangerous and could cause a large amount of destruction to an area. Once again, Vanston explains what he saw after the bomb was tested by saying, “Along the way we saw an assortment of obliterated military vehicles, weapons, and dummies” (Vanston par 14). The bomb was more powerful than any other weapon that was known at this time. Now that the world knew what a nuclear bomb was capable of, think about how the aftermath of a nuclear explosion would change the cities that were hit with these weapons.
Not only did the testing of nuclear weapons cause cancer and damage test sites but also made technological advancements possible. Many countries soon followed the United States and created bombs. These weapons were the most powerful and dangerous weapons at the time. After they tested the bombs and other nuclear weapons, they realized that they could use the radiation, or nuclear power, for different reasons. . Mark McKain discusses in Making and Using the Atomic Bomb that “Nuclear power could also improve our defense posture; it would not burden the transportation system during national emergencies” (Mckain 224). If the testing of the bomb would have not been done then the United States would not know how to use the nuclear power properly and safely. Nuclear power could have protection or medicinal uses (McKain 224). They also found out that even though radiation caused cancer, that if it was done correctly then the radiation could be used to cure the ones who had other forms of cancer. There are more uses that radiation could be used for, such as new weapons and fuels . Counties saw what the weapons would do and decided that they needed weapons that were even more powerful that nuclear weapons. At this time, that seemed impossible. Sherrow continues to explain that since the creation of the bomb countries were trying to find and create weapons that were even more dangerous than they they had already (Sherrow 96). Scientist even thought that nuclear power could be used in the place of fossil fuels, which would make the cost of power decrease and a great number of citizens would save money(McKain 223). The making and testing of nuclear weapons helped create the thought of nuclear power. Nuclear power opened up a large number of windows for opportunity in order for countries to make numerous technological advancements.
To ever think that a country could use one weapon to leave an entire city in nothing but ruins was an unthinkable thought. As scientist did studies there were new discoveries. The United States government became more powerful in the eyes of the world because of these new discoveries. Even though the testing of powerful nuclear weapons affected the American population by producing radiation and causing fear there were several technological advances that have made a difference in the world today.
For hundreds of years there was not one person that thought that America would become one of the most powerful countries in the world just because of a weapon.In the mid 1900s scientist had been doing tests and studies that had to do with chemical bonds. In the article “Nuclear Weapons” written by Lemer et al., they discuss how these nuclear weapons could get their power: “Chemical explosives get their power from the rapid rearrangement of chemical bonds, the links between atoms made by sharing electrons” (Lemer et al. par 14). The discovery of this new energy intrested the government. The President at the time was Franklin D. Roosevelt, and he decided he wanted to be the first country to build an atomic weapon. Doreen Gonzales who is the author of The Manhattan Project and the Atomic Bomb in American History said that “This job was given to the Army Corps of Engineers, the division of the army that directs engineering tasks” (Gonzales 33). The United States Army started contacting college professors to come work on this project. The army did not tell them what the project was until they had committed to helping. There were hundreds of professors who were also asked to help with specific parts of this plan.
After the discovery of nuclear energy the government decided that building a bomb would be a good idea. The government decided to complete the bomb with the utmost secrecy and they called it the Manhattan Project. Gonzales wrote that even Franklin Roosevelt’s Vice President Harry Truman did not know about the project: “Hours later, Vice President Harry Truman was sworn in as the new president. He later said that, at that moment, he felt as if "the moon, the stars, and all the planets had fallen" on him. Yet he still had know knowledge of the Manhattan Project” (Gonzales 68). Only President Roosevelt and a select few other government officials knew what was going on. Many individuals were involved in the process of making and creating this deadly weapon but most of them did not know what they were a part of (Gonzales 33). The officials who knew about the project had to keep it a secret from not only the citizens in America but also the other countries. Steve Sheinkin, author of Bomb: the Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, says “Americans continued shipping weapons to the Soviets, but the atomic bomb remained a secret” (Sheinkin 103-4). Once the citizens of America found out about what the government had been doing they were upset and scared. After the bomb had been made they set specific dates and locations where the weapons would be tested. The United States was one of the first countries to test and use nuclear weapons. The testings of these nuclear weapons caused many effects in the United States.
When the government tested the newly discovered nuclear weapons in the mid 1900s, there were a number of effects that had impacted the American population; some of those effects came from the radiation that was produced from the bomb and the other nuclear weapons that were tested. The radiation caused the cells of numerous individuals to be affected, which lead to cancer. The fragments of radiation that continued to linger in the air after the nuclear weapons were tested were called fallout. These particle fragments would cause damage to cells if an individual had been unprotected from the fallout (“Testing Times; Radiation” par 3). Studies found that the individuals who were exposed to fallout had more than double the amount of radioactive strontium-90 that is found in the individuals who were not exposed (“Atomic Bomb Testing Blamed for More Cancers” par 4). There were individuals who did not know they had been affected by strontium-90 until decades after the testings took place. The strontium-90 caused a deadly cancer in those who were affected, yet there were some who were not affected at all. An example would be John H Vanston, he is the author of “Just Another Weapon.” Vanston was in the Army and was commanded to be on the site where they tested the nuclear weapon. Vanston says, “At present I am in great health and, to the best of my knowledge, I have suffered no ill effects from Apple II or my other work in the field” (Vanston par 16). Even though he has not had any long term health effects, he was still exposed to the same amount of radiation as the others who were on the site.
The radiation from the trials of these powerful weapons affected more than just the human body, but the radiation also could have possibly affected the world as a whole. The areas where the weapons were tested were not the only places that were affected. According to Lemer et al., “The effects of fires and destruction following a large-scale nuclear war might even change the climate of the planet” (Lemer et al. par 27). There are many who do not know that radiation can have a considerably large effect on the world, not just isolated testing places. There were families who were hundreds of miles away from the testing sites and were still affected. Victoria Sherrow discussed how the nuclear weapons effected in her book The Making of the Atom Bomb. As Sherrow states, “Fallout traveled through the atmosphere hundreds of miles beyond isolated nuclear test sites and affected the air, water, and soil” (Sherrow 97). Those who did not know much about nuclear weapons and radiation thought that radiation could just cause cancer and not travel through the air and cause a countless number of other issues.
Along with causing cancer and climate change, the making and testing of these powerful weapons frightened the citizens of American and several other countries. The government had to create the bomb in secret to keep other countries from discovering the power that nuclear weapons obtained. Once the Americans found out about nuclear weapons they were terrified at the amount of power that America and other countries would have. David Rezelman states in his article “Nuclear Weapons” that “Many feared that the next world war would result in the literal extinction of humankind, and to witnesses of two world wars in the space of three decades, a third world war seemed a virtual inevitability” (Rezelman par 2). This caused the American population to wonder what other information and discoveries the government was keeping secret. As the word of nuclear weapons spread and counties began to build these dangerous weapons, and individuals were becoming more and more nervous for what was to come in the future. After the testing America dropped a bomb in Hiroshima, Japan to try and put a stop to the war (Rezelman par 2). Americans were constantly worrying that other countries would drop bombs on the United States. Sherrow goes on to explains that the citizens in America were scared that they were going to have to go through what Japan did when the US dropped the bomb on Hiroshima (Sherrow 100). The Americans wanted the government to stop using bombs. They were scared of what the United States, along with the other countries, was going to do with the power that the nuclear weapons provided.
Furthermore, another effect of testing the nuclear weapons would be the physical damage at the test sites and the cities where the United States had dropped nuclear weapons. The test sites as well as the cities were left in complete ruins. The explosion caused an unbearable amount of heat and shook the ground. Sheinkin goes on to explain how the heat that came off the explosion was hot enough to vaporize the steel structure that had the bomb (Sheinkin 187). This proved that nuclear weapons were dangerous and could cause a large amount of destruction to an area. Once again, Vanston explains what he saw after the bomb was tested by saying, “Along the way we saw an assortment of obliterated military vehicles, weapons, and dummies” (Vanston par 14). The bomb was more powerful than any other weapon that was known at this time. Now that the world knew what a nuclear bomb was capable of, think about how the aftermath of a nuclear explosion would change the cities that were hit with these weapons.
Not only did the testing of nuclear weapons cause cancer and damage test sites but also made technological advancements possible. Many countries soon followed the United States and created bombs. These weapons were the most powerful and dangerous weapons at the time. After they tested the bombs and other nuclear weapons, they realized that they could use the radiation, or nuclear power, for different reasons. . Mark McKain discusses in Making and Using the Atomic Bomb that “Nuclear power could also improve our defense posture; it would not burden the transportation system during national emergencies” (Mckain 224). If the testing of the bomb would have not been done then the United States would not know how to use the nuclear power properly and safely. Nuclear power could have protection or medicinal uses (McKain 224). They also found out that even though radiation caused cancer, that if it was done correctly then the radiation could be used to cure the ones who had other forms of cancer. There are more uses that radiation could be used for, such as new weapons and fuels . Counties saw what the weapons would do and decided that they needed weapons that were even more powerful that nuclear weapons. At this time, that seemed impossible. Sherrow continues to explain that since the creation of the bomb countries were trying to find and create weapons that were even more dangerous than they they had already (Sherrow 96). Scientist even thought that nuclear power could be used in the place of fossil fuels, which would make the cost of power decrease and a great number of citizens would save money(McKain 223). The making and testing of nuclear weapons helped create the thought of nuclear power. Nuclear power opened up a large number of windows for opportunity in order for countries to make numerous technological advancements.
To ever think that a country could use one weapon to leave an entire city in nothing but ruins was an unthinkable thought. As scientist did studies there were new discoveries. The United States government became more powerful in the eyes of the world because of these new discoveries. Even though the testing of powerful nuclear weapons affected the American population by producing radiation and causing fear there were several technological advances that have made a difference in the world today.
Works Cited
“Atom Bomb Testing Blamed for More Cancers.” UPI NewsTrack, 2009, Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A210102395/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=1364da6f.
Gonzales, Doreen. The Manhattan Project and the Atomic Bomb in American History. Berkeley Heights, NJ, Enslow Publishers, 2000.
Lerner, K. Lee et al. “Nuclear Weapons.” The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, Edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 5th ed., Gale,
Farmington Hills, MI, 2014, Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2644031559/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=63732d98.
McKain, Mark. Making and Using the Atomic Bomb. San Diego, CA, Greenhaven Press, 2003.
Rezelman, David. “Nuclear Weapons.” Dictionary of American History, Edited by Stanley I. Kutler, 3rd ed., vol. 6, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 2003, pp. 143–145, Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3401803030/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=c857e74a.
Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: the Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. New York, Roaring Brook Press, 2012.
Sherrow, Victoria. The Making of the Atom Bomb. San Diego, CA, Lucent Books, 2000.
“Testing Times; Radiation.” The Economist, Nov. 2004, p. 76(US). Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A121841456/SUIC? u=chil38234&xid=826f1a05.
Vanston, John H. “Just Another Weapon.” American Heritage, 1996, p. 32. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A18807069/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=482ea32e.
Gonzales, Doreen. The Manhattan Project and the Atomic Bomb in American History. Berkeley Heights, NJ, Enslow Publishers, 2000.
Lerner, K. Lee et al. “Nuclear Weapons.” The Gale Encyclopedia of Science, Edited by K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, 5th ed., Gale,
Farmington Hills, MI, 2014, Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV2644031559/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=63732d98.
McKain, Mark. Making and Using the Atomic Bomb. San Diego, CA, Greenhaven Press, 2003.
Rezelman, David. “Nuclear Weapons.” Dictionary of American History, Edited by Stanley I. Kutler, 3rd ed., vol. 6, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 2003, pp. 143–145, Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3401803030/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=c857e74a.
Sheinkin, Steve. Bomb: the Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon. New York, Roaring Brook Press, 2012.
Sherrow, Victoria. The Making of the Atom Bomb. San Diego, CA, Lucent Books, 2000.
“Testing Times; Radiation.” The Economist, Nov. 2004, p. 76(US). Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A121841456/SUIC? u=chil38234&xid=826f1a05.
Vanston, John H. “Just Another Weapon.” American Heritage, 1996, p. 32. Student Resources in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A18807069/SUIC?u=chil38234&xid=482ea32e.