"The past is never dead. It's not even past."
I got to thinking about this quote as we're coming up to our unit on World War II and all of the awful things that happened during that war. The death toll is staggering. An estimated 62 million people were killed, 37 million civilians and 25 millions soldiers. There were crimes against humanity - the Holocaust visited upon Europe's Jews and other outsiders; 7 million Chinese civilians killed not only by the Japanese but also in a bloody civil war; and Allied soldiers brutally kept in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps in Asia.
It has been over 60 years since this war ended, yet we still see reminders of this war in many places that we go.
1. The United Nations Security Council is based upon the winners of the war and hasn't changed to reflect the world as it is today;
2. Japan has little to no armed forces;
3. Germany still pays reparations to the survivors of the Holocaust;
4. A distrust between the Soviet Union and America during the war carried over into a 46 year Cold War which we will continue to pay for until many of us are old and gray;
5. The cloud of Japanese internment camps hangs over America as a gross violation of Japanese-Americans civil liberties;
6. And we all live under the specter of a nuclear blast because of the race for the atom bomb in the 1940s that America won in July 1945 when we detonated one successfully in Trinity, New Mexico. One of the biggest threats to world peace, if not the biggest threats, is the spread of nuclear weapons.
So, my questions for you, as we approach World War 2, are:
So, my questions for you, as we approach World War 2, are:
1. What should our approach to the war be? Do we look at it just as another American war which expanded our military, economic and political power across the globe? Or was there a greater purpose involved in fighting the war?
2. When do we let go of the legacy of the past? When is enough enough? Or are there some things that should never ever be forgotten? Specifics would be great for this answer
(150 word minimum, please).
(150 word minimum, please).
Article on Japan's apology for its WW2 legacy - http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2005-08/2005-08-15-voa6.cfm
Casualties stats - http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/World_War_II_casualties
45 comments:
I think that the approach to this war was to help out our european allies, and to help the other countries and people in this war. Even though the U.S. had decided that we weren't going to get involved with anymore european affairs, we saw that innocent people were being were being killed just because of thier race, so we decided that we needed to help out. When we entered the war we were in it to stop hitler and all the killing that he was doing, but I think that in the back of the president's mind, that he knew that if we helped win the war, and stop the innocent people from being killed then that would let us expand our political, military, and our economic powers to places overseas.
I dont think that we should forget anything from world war 2. This is because we should use the mistakes that different countries made, to ensure that none of those things will ever happen again. But, just because we shouldn't be forgeting about it doesn't mean that we have to be living or thinking about these things all the time. For example, during the war, in the United States there were internment camps for the Japanese, which we know was a violation of thier civil liberties. This was a mistake of Americas and we know that it was wrong. But, this doesnt mean that 60 years later we still need to live like we still have those camps today, because we dont and the war is over. We still need to remind ourselves of all the bad things that happened in the war, so that we can make sure that they dont happen again.
I don't think World War 2 was just another war. I think it was one of America’s most important wars it has ever been in. Sure it expanded our military, political and economic power across the globe, but I think that American soldiers were fighting for something greater. At least I think they were after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The attack gave Americans a reason for fighting, not just because the government said to go help our allies. We were finally attacked and had a reason to defend ourselves.
I don't think enough is ever enough. We should never forget the things we did in our past or else we are bound to redo them in the future. For example, we should never forget the nuclear bomb that was dropped on Japan. Many horrible things happened during the war that killed so many people and if people just try to forget the war and act like it never happened I think there will be a world war 3 with more killing and devastation.
Jonathan Klar
6th Hour
Our approach to this war should be to try and prevent the death and destruction which is what made World War two the deadliest war ever. When WW2 broke out, we were trying to prevent he innocent killings from Hitler and the Nazis. In the war, I believe that the American solders were fighting for something greater than honor, the Attack on Purl Harbor gave solders a reason for fighting. The war wasn’t only about helping out allies, but it was also a way of showing the world that if you mess with us, that we will drop Nuclear warheads on innocent Japanese people.
I don’t think that enough is enough, because we should never forget the people who lost there lives in WW2, if we put all of the wrong-doings behind us and forget all of the terrible things that happened that we are bound to make the same mistakes in the future and start a WW3.
Alex Langensiepen 5th Hour
I don't think we were just in World War 2 because it was going to expand our political, military, and economic powers. I think we were also in it because we did not believe in the horrible treatment that people recieved based on their race,religion,or where they were from. I think we fought in that war based on our own morals instead of thinking how this will greater benefit us in the end.
I think nothing should be forgotten in our history. I believe we should use the saying "forgive but never forget." Our generation around the world should not be accused of the actions of our ancestors. The mistakes of our ancestors should never be forgotten though. We should remember them so that we don't make the same mistakes. We all need to understand the past was not in our hands but the future is. Take the knowledge you have of the past and use it to better our future.
Hannah Burch
5h Hour
I think we should approach World War Two by viewing it as a situation where the world was out to deny Germany and its mad dictatorship a shot at world dominance. It was a clear cut case of good versus evil. The United Sates’ intent was to help defeat a racist dictatorship. To stand idly by, and allow the Germans to succeed in their goal of domination across the globe would have certainly been a crime in and of itself.
As despicable as war is, sometimes the circumstances call for military action in order to prevent more dire consequences. The true challenge then is for responsible leadership determining when a call for arms is needed. This of course is because of the nature of war and the hardship it brings upon a nation and its people.
World War Two was an example of overcoming evil. It is a lesson in history that we must never forget and from which we must learn to avoid future repetition. Hence, William Faulkner’s famous quote “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” The inhumanity of the holocaust is a constant reminder of what an unchecked evil state can do. Andrew Wehbe 6th hour
World War two was a war that expanded our political economical and military power across the globe. But I think there was a greater purpose involved in fighting the war. The U.S saw many unjust things being done. For example the genocide that Hitler was causing by trying to get rid of all the people that did not have blue eyes blonde hair etc. The U.S tried to look the other way and not get involved in World War Two at first, but then when Japan confronted the U.S they knew they had to get involved.
We should always look into the past because you can learn from past mistakes and try to improve. This does not mean that you should lament about it day and night. You should just keep it in the back of your mind, so if you see something like it happen again you will have a better idea on how to stop it before it gets to far. Example of something that should never be forgotten is the genocide of the Jews and many other groups that Hitler killed. That genocide killed a little over six million people. You can’t just wipe something like that out of history.
Emily Betts
6th
Of COURSE we should not just look at this as another "score" for America in improving our power---this was about helping to stop the killing of millions of people for nothing but religious and other prejudices. Obviously the United States has a track record for joining wars for reasons typically including expanding our power but I'd like to think we are made of more than that. We definitely need to look at the aspect of how this war affected our country, but before we can do that we have to look at the original purpose of the war and the moral reasons for which we got involved.
In response to the whether we can ever let the past go or if it always stays with us, I think it's unfair to say that the past ever dies. Everything around us, every little piece of our lives can be traced back to something before we lived. We also must remember that sometimes we let history repeat itself when we don't take enough care to prevent it. If we don't remember tragic events like World War II and the results of them, how will we be able to keep them from happening again? It's not a question of whether or not the past dies on its own, it's a question of if we are smart enough to forbid it from leaving us.
Jill Mailing-6th hour
I think that there was a greater purpose for America getting involved in World War II. Yes, it would helped expand the military, the economy, and political powers but I don't think that thats the main reason for getting involved. The main reason in getting involved was to help the people that were being treated unfairly and being brutally punished for being different. The thing is that as the war went on, people started to forget why we really got involved in the first place. I think that to approach the war we should have tried harder get rid of all the bad people like Hitler.
I don't think that anyone will forget what happened and I don't think they should. We have to learn from our mistakes and not have history repeated. Just forgetting about it doesn't make it go away. I do think instead of dwelling over it we should be happy that it's over and do everything we can to stop it from ever happening again. It's good to learn about history, even the bad parts, because it helps our country become a lot stronger.
Kristin Mafrice
6th hour
I think the war was just another way to make America more powerful. That is the only reason countries enter war in the first place because they feel threatened by another country for power. I don’t think we should forget the legacy of past wars because they contribute to what we are today. I’m not saying that the United States didn’t have good intentions on entering the war to help people but the main goal was to keep power to themselves. Also it keeps us from making the same mistakes twice. We should never forget all the people who died in these wars whether they were soldiers or civilians. A lot of bad things happened during World War II and even though they happened a long time ago we need to learn about how not to behave.
Jasmine Windham
5th hour
The United States involvement in World War II happened after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. We entered a war against Japan to seek revenge and to send a message. To never attack the U.S again. The Holocaust was between Germans, anti-Semitist, and Jews. We got involved in this war for peace and freedom, and to stop the persecution of the Jews. On September 11, 2001, terrorists attacked New York. We went to war to and seek revenge and fight for peace and safety. These wars show that we enter them to prove a greater purpose and to bring peace and freedom to countries. Also, we seek protection and freedoms of all people. Another thing is to send a clear message that no one can attack our country and get away with it. War is used to stop the people who just have so much hatred they will kill themselves and commit a deadly attack and kill others. The expansion of our military, economics and political power is just an added result. We went to war to help maintain our safety and rights in our country.
Wars should never be forgotten. It is one of the things that define our country. It shows how much suffering we do to protect our rights that were given to us on July 4th 1776.
Megan T. 6th hour
1. World War II I believe, expanded our military, economic and political power across the globe. I do not think we look at it as just another American War. The United States saw this as an injustice and we believed that something needed to be done. Although sometimes it seems like we get into things such as wars just to expand out power, this time I believe we saw something that needed correcting and we took action. Unfortunately by the end of the war, people began to forget why we were really fighting this war. That is why I think some people may think it was another time when the United States were trying to get more power.
2. We learn from our mistakes and we learn from history. If the war would of not gone on that long we would not have all the knowledge we have now. We need to remember everything that happened in WW2 to keep it from happening again. Also to see the bad things that happened, help us become a better nation overall. In addition to the quote, even if we forget the past everything around us is a reminder of what happened before us.
I believe that the US had know intensions on joining the war if the Japense wouldn't have attacked us.A great example in our world today is Darfur. Its comparable to the holocaust and the US isn't thinking about making a move to help those people. The only thing that would grab our attention is if the war was affecting us in some way.During WWII I don't think that the expansion of the military, economic and political power was a big deal, but in the process of fighting we gained it. I think that the most significant things in history, that has helped shape our country should never be forgotten. If we go around living life unconciously then we're bound to make the same mistakes. The reason why its a good chance of history repeating itself is because we read about our history but we never really learn from it.
~Shayla McElroy~
5th hour
We should not just look at Worl War II as another American war which expanded our military, economic and political power across the globe. I think there a greater purpose involved in fighting the war. Americans got involved in this war because they didn’t belive that what was going on in Gernmay was right. Also after Pearl Harbor the Americans had a real reason to get involved.
I do not think we should ever forget the past. We should forgive the wrongs that have occurred but we should never forget them. I do not think we should forget the past because we need to learn from our misktakes. If we just forgot everything bad that happened we would keep making the same mistakes over and over. The Holocust for example. I think we need to forgive Germany for what happened but I do not think we will ever forget it.
-Claire M
5th hour
I don't believe we should look at this war like its any other war, I think this war had a much greater purpose. I think this war is so important becasue i feel most wars are about money and land, where as this war involved the killing of so many people for reasons such as religion. I think we need to learn about why so many countries got involved with this war, and the reasons why so many coutries were against so many religions.
I think some things should definitly never be forgotten, I think WWII is a perfect example of this. I think we should always remember the people who fought in the wars, becasue without them most of us wouldn't be here today. I think all the museums and historical things dedicated to soldiars and peoples in wars are so important, they remind us how lucky we are to be here today. We need to remember the great things are country did, and not always focus on the bad. I believe without the past there would be no future.
Shayna S. 5th Hour
I don’t believe that we should take any different approach then we have in other wars. I think that we should look to fight to make our nation better and to expand. Our approaches have been about the same for ever war and we haven’t been so bad so why would you change. If its not broken don’t fix it because you never know what could happen if you change your approach. I also do not believe that there was a greater purpose for fighting in the war.
I don’t think that we should let go of the legacy of the past. The past has had to much impact on today’s life and it should still be there even if there are some bad things. Examples that should not be forgotten would be the reparations that Germany owes to the holocaust survivors and to the United States. We should never forget the truly awful things that the nazis did and they should never be forgotten.
-Jeff Kohl
5th Hour
I think that the approach of this war was to help the european people in fact this war was between again the German and the France. In fact America help us a lot. Hitler was a rascist man and he killed lots of people because they didnt have the good "race". Everybody were suppose to be blond with blue eyes. The goal of america was to stop Hitler.
I don't think that we should forget the world war 2 because lots of soldiers fight for us and now we should represent them and say thank you to them. The war didn't appear by magic it was big problemes put together and also an imcomprehension with the politics men that couldn't solve the problem. This is why the war appear. Today I think that we must still think about those soldiers.
I think that the approach to the World War was to look out for ourselfs then to our alies in Europe. I can support this with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The war was going on for two years before we got in it because it wosn't in our best interest. We did the same thing in World War one, we didn't do anything, accept supply each side with goods, until Germany attacked a ship with United States civilains on it. With that said, I think that our approach to this war was the right one, if we had gone in in the beginning there would have been even more casualties than there are now. Plus it saved a lot of money in everything aspect.
To answer the second question, I don't think that we should ever forget the past. If you leave that past alone you would lose all of the history. In hundreds of years would the students of that time in America not learn about 9/11, or the war on terror? It's just not going to happen nor should it happen.
Patrick H.
6th Hour
When refusing to forget past, there is the ongoing conflict of whether it is holding a grudge or if it is to learn from our mistakes. We shouldn't forget the past because we can learn from our mistakes. I think we should remember the past but not in a way to be spiteful and critisize others. Viewing the war really depends on the reason why we are going to war in the first place. During the time of WWII, President Wilson was worried about the people who were falling victim to Hitler's tyrrany. He wanted to do something to help too. This is good because wanting to help others is a good thing. However, if you're turning another country into a democracy, it might be better to stay out of it. President Bush may have good intentions, but maybe it's better to let the country work it out itself.
Elise Lieberman
2/13/07
5th hour
I think are approach to the war was to get stronger as a country and grow together. In somewhats yes because thats what it did it helped us grow and put fear in other countries. When we went to war in world war II it was fighting more than just to fight we had power and land on the line. They had also just been attacked on pearl Harbor which made the war more of war to fight. It wasnt just lets go fight them becuase there "annoying us" its they just attacked us we have to defend ourselves. That is just what we did defended ourselves and made us much stronger.
I feel the legacy of the past should always be rembered. I dont think we should ever let go because are past is our history. learning history is having knoweledge of what your ancestors did and what got us to this point in life. If we just forget all that and say we dont need to know are legacy then the world wouldnt be the same. The legacy of are country has been very tragic from deaths to slavery so i dont think we should just forget about what all the people have went through for us to be living how were living and fighting for what there fighting for. The fight was for peace and it is still for peace and people that died doing that knew we were just gonna forget about what they did for us they would be mad.
Aston Williams
6th hour
No, you can’t approach World War II and talk about it like “just another American war which expanded the U.S. military, economic and political power across the globe”. I think it is essential that you stay objective and see every single war as unique. People die in wars and therefore you can’t regard any war as “just another one”, since this would denigrate the victims. Anyway I agree that World War II was special because it awakened people what evil things human beings are able to do.
Hitler’s megalomania had to be stopped and that’s the reason why I think that there was some kind of greater purpose in fighting the war against the Axis. To the time the Allies started their offence already millions of human beings died and the world got a clear message: others would also have to die if these dictators would not be stopped. In fact, the war expanded America’s power around the globe but I think one should not accuse the U.S. of just fighting the war for economical reason like in more contemporary conflicts (like Iraq…); even in the smallest conflict I think the entering parties have purposes other than just “fighting for humanity”. No country would enter a war without any advantages they would gain in case of a victory and I think that one of the main purposes of the entering of the U.S. in WW II was the possibility to have influence on European politics after the war, what was definitively the case.
I think I agree not completely with the opinion which you can find in most other comments. My opinion probably slightly differs from what you read before because of my German nationality. I think you should never forget about any historically event to prevent mistakes from happening again, but I would add that you should also be able to forgive. I think that (too) many people just see the first part of this phrase and therefore many nations still hate Germans often for no real reason, because my and even the generation of my parents don’t have to do anything with what our ancestors did.
The best example for this is the Holocaust: I absolutely agree that you should never forget about the millions of deaths so that it never happens again but is it really necessary to blame Germans who come over for vacation (or exchange…) for this and to insult them as a Nazi? I don’t think so.
“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.” - Thomas Fuller
Martin Simke 5th
I think the appraoch of the war was well justified because of the need to help innocent people. Many people,before the war even became established, were being killed and treated unfair for mostly, racial reasons. Some countries ignored those cries for help and Americans saw that and felt that if no one else will help, they would. Then, when the attack on Pearl Harbor happened both sides(americans and japanese) both felt threatened and thats what really got us into the war. Even though Americans got alot of economic power due to their part in the war, doesn't mean that americans tried to get in something just to get power. So, no I don't believe that WW2 was just another war. I also, do believe that to a certain point enough is enough because yeah we need to learn history as a whole, so we can know what happened in the past, but when people start acting on the past negatively that's when it gets out of hand. People today are being treated poorly for what people they didn't even know or probably don't even agree with. I don't think that's fair cause they had nothing to do with it. For those who do agree with the negative things of the past, they are the ones that should be treated that way.- Adriel Oliver
5th hr.
I think the war was just another way to make America strong. If we didn't fight back then we wouldn't know what to fight with now. We wouldn't know how to handle some situations, or how to make them. Most countries go into war mainly because of threats or a piece of land that they want. I'm not saying it's a good thing to fight, but you have to earn what you get.We lost many people, but those people knew exactly what was ahead of them and the people that fought were just tryin to make a better future. We should be thanking those people that fought in the past, because if they didn't we don't know how we would be living or what the world would be like.
We should never forget ANY history that ever happened. All of it is important. People now and the people to come should know exactly what the past use to be like and the things they went through. They should see how things have improved. For example, The great depression. They should see how the economy is safer than it was and how the food use to be disgusting and is now improved. The past might even let people know how grateful they are that they haven't experienced anything like events in the past. If we don't learn our mistakes then we won't ever improve.
Ciara Embry-Brown
6th hour
Leah Jackson
1. Our approach to war should be taken from a careful viewpoint. We don’t want to get too caught up in the passion of a war that means nothing, but we also want to get directly into something that screams unfair. For World War 2, I believe there was a great purpose involved in fighting the war. We weren’t the first the start this was, and I think that proves that we weren’t in it just for the perks of a military expansion and economic and political power across the globe.
2. Before we go into any war, we need to understand specifically why we are there. So when our unfairness has been corrected, we can end, at least our part in the war. As long as people remember, we never let go of the legacy of the past. It can be hard to judge when enough is enough. There are some things that should never, ever be forgotten. Like September 11, these generations will remember the event, and hopefully new generations will honor as we do. The legacy of those who so innocently died, and those fire officers and police officers we died to save those people, need people to remember. In the case of World War 2, the survivors of the holocaust don’t want you to forget about what they went though, that would be simply horrible to them. Stuff of these magnitudes should never be forgotten.
The countries approach to war should be hesitant and uncertain. The government should be sensitive to those who oppose war and to the fact that if it can be avoided it might not be the best idea. When looking back at World War 2 I think that we should think of it as a great advancement in our government and in the military but at the same time still respect the fact that it was a horrible time period for some other countries and that many of our soldiers died. Also, respect is due to the families of the people who were wrongly killed.
I believe that the legacy will live as long as people remember and as long as we care. Also, it is easier to keep the legacy living when survivors are around to tell their stories and to touch us. Horrific times such as World War 2 should be remembered and never forgotten although in the future it will be easier to forget and let it slip our minds. For example, it is hard for me to let the legacy of the horrendous influenza pandemic because it did not affect us, our parents, and maybe even our grandparents. I know for myself that in some way it did affect me because my great grandma’s birth mother died from the flu but it is hard to remember because my grandma did not even know her. My point is that the legacy lives as long as it still affects people today or for me, myself directly.
Mariah Van Ermen
6th Hour
I think that World War 2 helped our country become stronger, it was unforunate that so many people were killed in the process though.Even though the U.S. didnt want to get involved with European affairs, we couldn't help trying to stop what was going on. People were being killed over there religion or race, which is 100% wrong and we knew that so we decided that we needed to help the other European countries get out of the mess that they put themselfs in. I think that World War 2 also helped us learn how to handel situations that can occur in a war. There was horrible things that happened in World War 2 and we either made a good decision to fix them or a bad one. If we made a bad choice, we learned from our mistakes so it will not happen again.
I also do not think that we should forget anything that happened in World War 2, because again we learned from our mistakes and we now know what we can and can not do in that situation if it might happen again. Although I am totally against the war in Iraq, I think that World War 2 taught us somethings that we shouldn't do while we are in Iraq, which have helped us not make this war(we are currently in) any worse then it already is.
Also during World War 2 there were many things that we should also never forget, that are very important to History. Like the Holocaust, the Holocaust is a very important part of this war, there were many men, women and children killed because of it. These people that were killed were not just from one cultural group, they were from many. Christian or Jewish or any other religion it did not matter, if you did not do what the Nazis told you to do you were placed in these concentration camps. It was horrible, we learned that people can not be treated like this and that it is not right, therefore I think that we should not forget anything about World War 2, becuase if we do forget we could make the same mistakes that we already made
Alexandra Stender
5th hour
I absolutely don’t think that world war 2 was going to be just another war in a line of many others before, so therefore it’s really not that big of a deal. It was a WORLD war, it stood for some of the most important things of the time. It expanded our military, political and economic power, but the soldiers who were out there fighting risking they’re lives on a daily basis were not concerned with that. After Pearl Harbor we had that same motivation as many of us had right after the terrorist attacks of 2001. Eventually, in both cases this hype to go and defend out country died down and than you get protestors and such, but at least for a while we felt unity as a country to work together for the greater good. As a country, America has the morals and values of a stereotypical nuclear happy family, and it is up to us to act upon those morals that we are so proud of having.
I don’t think we should ever forget out history. It’s one thing to move on, to lose the paranoia and prejudice but never forget what happened. History is our source of correcting the mistakes that our country has learned in the past, without it we would get stupider and stupider every day. Because, as every social studies teacher I’ve ever had chimes “history repeats itself”. I can’t think of anyone who has forgotten these huge things in life. In society, we are constantly reminded of our past with memorials, dedications, special holidays, movies and TV shows, and I personally don’t get sick of it either. We can’t possibly move forward as a country without all the previous steps that got us there.
Crystal Schein
6th hour
Americans reason for getting involved in World War 2 was because we wanted revenge after Japans attack on Pearl Harper. I think that it was also a way to gain power and make other countries scared.
I do not believe that we should look at World War 2 as just another war. We shouldn’t look at any war as just another war, because people were killed in almost every war and they died for our country.
We should never forget the past; the past gives us our backbone. We learn from our mistakes and make the best of the present.
-Kellie H.
I think that World War II expanded our power and also had a greater purpose than just that. I think the greater purpose was that because Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, we felt that we had to hit back just as hard. Many people thought that because the Japenese were that cruel, we could be the same back towards them. The United States just saw many things wrong with the world and wanted to "fix" them.
I don't think that things from the past should be forgotten because we could never learn from the mistakes that our forefathers made. We want to make sure that we do things differently and hopefully more effectively than the people that came before us. An example would be when we recently attacked Iraq. It was necessary when we first went in, but now it's just ridiculous that we are still over there not really making any progress for America. Hopefully, this war won't be forgotten, so we will know what to do in future cases like these.
(Sorry it's late :-(...
~Eboni Bell~
5th Hour
I really don't think WW2 was just another war. I think it was important, infact one of America’s top important. This war expanded our military, political and economic power across the globe, but i dont think we were just fighting for that. After the attack on Pearl Harbor i think American said we ahve a right to fight. The attack gave Americans a reason for fighting, not just because the government said help our allies. We needed to defend ourselves because we just been attacked on
I think enough is ever enough. We should forget somethings but never forget the important things that we did in that helped our country. For example, We should never forget Gold rush because wo found gold or slavery because we can learn off those things.but we do need to forget about all the killings of innocent people and all the sad parts because all thats going to do is bring up sad memories. If we keep opn holding on to all these horrible memories there is just going to be more chaos in the mental and the physical world. WE need to let by gones be by gones and make amends.
Gil Clark 6th Hour
I think that are approach to this war is to look deeper into the war and dont look at it was just another war and look at it in a differnt aspect of what it was abou because I feel like there was a great cause into why the war happened and we should look into it.I feel like this was another great war that happened becuase we had the holocaust which was like the slaughtering of the jews,had the japense messing with the allied soliders, had 7 million chinease people killed by japenase but also by a bloody civil war and at the same time the government is still trying to expand there powers and the government. So all this makes me think that it is more to it then we see or know. I think that we should leave the legancy in the past becuase it was the past like the wars in the holocaust in everything that the country and people went through, we should leave it alone because we cant change it or make it better. It happened and the lonely thing we can do is move forward and try to change the world now to make it a better place or try to not the same mistake. Becasue during this time everybody was making mistakes and bad desicions and they affected the world as a whole and the economy and how we live. But at the same time I know that it happened and it is marked in history and it will never be forgotten but I feel that we shouldnt bring it up anymore because it is over and life moves on and time will tell sooner or later. We will all look back and realize that some of the things that happened was a mistake on your part and the other countries faults to and i believe that we will see are mistakes.
Our approach to the war should be that some wars were just stupid things to be fighting over. But other wars changed the people that lived during the times life and has chnaged our lifes today. Just think if some wars didn’t happen, we might be living a completely different life. The past is the past but some people hold on to things that happened in the past because it or they might of ment a whole lot to somone. People let go of the things that have happened in the past when they are ready to let go it all depends on the person.there are a lot of things that should never be forgotten. For me it was my aunt, she will never be forgotten, and yes she was in the past but she is a good memory that I want to remember. Sense we are talking about wars pearl harbor is a huge thing that should never be forgot and I think every body that has seen what happened that day relizes how important that is to history.
Erin D
I feel that the war should be seen as a protection of rights and nothing more. Many may feel different and say that the war effort was an act of revenge against the Japanese, let ask you this, how may times must you be brutaly wronged against before you take action? Not everyone can be Gandhi, and not to be blunt but this holds especially true towards the American people.
Second, I agree that some things must be left behind in our past but we must remember a great many things in order to prevent their happening again. Examples for this would be the Civil War, Segregation (although effects are still felt today) and even the dropping of the bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Something to relate to today would be the treatment of prisoners at the Abu Grahib, if we only would have remembered how we were treated in the POW camps of Japan during WWII.
Thomas Hess
6th
World War 2 should not be perceived as “just another war”. The war helped us learn from our mistakes about our own defense. It shouldn’t be looked at that it just expanded our power. There was a greater purpose in fighting the war. From us being attacked we learned our lesson about defending ourselves and being prepared, that was an important effect.
When it comes to the past, there is never enough. You can’t just let go of legacies. Remembering the past helps you to correct the future. Most of the things that occurred in the past are still going on today.
Brandi B.
5th Hour
I believe both ways World war two has helped and made us the country we are today. Even through it was one of are most deadly and surprised attack wars, it helped us expanded our political economical and military power. There was a greater purpose it made other countries scared of our military that could be a good or bad thing depending on you views. This war should not be forgotten it help us become the country we are today. Many people died and we should never forget those who made this country. Even through it is an extremely hard thing to imagine what happened in the past we should never forget about it.
Ashley B 5th hour
This war was a very significant event in U.S. history. I believe that the United States got involved in World War Two for a greater reason than just expanding military power. We had a duty to protect our European allies and those innocent civilians in danger from the German Army. The U.S. would not have gotten involved in this war unless they believed it was absolutely necessary. But once we knew that our powers could help save millions of people, the choice to intervene was obvious.
Our past should never be forgotten, however, dwelling on the past could have severe consequences. It is important that we learn from mistakes we have made in the past and use them to improve our future. Witch-hunts are a good example of an event that we have yet to figure out how to prevent, even though they have happened numerous times in our past. Starting with the Salem Witch Trials all the way to the Holocaust and McCarthyism, the aspect of fear and paranoia will always be the cause of accusations and witch-hunts.
Anna Badalamenti
6th Hour
Unlike any other war, WWII was one of the biggest, most justified wars America has ever fought in. For several months, America tried to resist helping the Allies fight against Germany, Japan and the Soviets. While over at Poland and Germany, over 10 million people were being slaughtered due to predjudice and invasions.
Pearl Harbor was the event that provoked our final decision to help Europe fight. The attack on Pearl harbor diminished several of our ships and planes, but most of all, took thousands of innocent lives. Could there be a decision more justified than this?
Because of our involvement, we were able to win the war, shut down concentration camps, and defeat Stalin and Hitler, the finally Japan.
But our decisions were not all good. For instance, we set up internships, camps for the Japanese Americans, because of our fear and predjudices after Pearl Harbor. We dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, each devastating the land, poisoning the people, and destroying their dignity.
Since this war was critical to American history, we are now able to learn from our mistakes. We now know the tremendous impact of atomic bombs, the pain produced from predjudice, and the hasty decisions we can learn to avoid. The war has taught us many things, but most of all, it showed us America's commanding power, and how we were able to tip the scale and help justify the globe.
Chelsea Rabano
5th Hour
1. World War II I believe, expanded our military, economic and political power across the globe. I do not think we look at it as just another American War. The United States saw this as an injustice and we believed that something needed to be done. Although sometimes it seems like we get into things such as wars just to expand out power, this time I believe we saw something that needed correcting and we took action. Unfortunately by the end of the war, people began to forget why we were really fighting this war. That is why I think some people may think it was another time when the United States were trying to get more power.
2. We learn from our mistakes and we learn from history. If the war would of not gone on that long we would not have all the knowledge we have now. We need to remember everything that happened in WW2 to keep it from happening again. Also to see the bad things that happened, help us become a better nation overall. In addition to the quote, even if we forget the past everything around us is a reminder of what happened before us.
Allison LaSota
5th
I think there was a greater purpose to this war because it expanded our political, economical, and military powers. It also stopped Germany to try to take over the world. And now, Germany became friendly to anyone who visits Germany.
We shouldn't forget about WWII because we need to learn what happened during WWII and when WWII started. Also how we got invovled with the war. For example, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1943. Otherwise if we forgot about WWII, we wouldn't know how it happened. Another example how Roosevelt and Churchill were on a ship and they discused how we should win this war. And Roosevelt really want us to win the war. Just before WWII ended, Roosevelt died of a stroke and after WWII, Hitler commetted suicied.
Ellen Rutila
U.S. History 6th
comments
AJ
World War 2 should never be seen as just this big war that killed a whole bunch of people. When it is analyzed it can be seen that many of the events that had taken place was a sort if chain reaction. Every lifer that was lost was because one person or a certain group of people decided to go left instead of right. Many Americans died during this war. America has a big issue with getting involved with other peoples business, such as Iraq and the Middle East. Just like now, our sons and daughters are dying each day for our need to control everyone. However, in WWII, this need cost us way too many lives.
As hard as it maybe to think about those times we can not just forget them. These memories, no matter how devastating shine a light on which path to take in your future. You and everyone you know will go through, but once you come out all the trials and tribulations would have molded you into a complete person. How can you know where you are headed if you don’t know where you are coming from?
A. Lewis
US History 6
I do not think we should dwell on the past, but we should not forget it, either. World War II created some tension between the United States and Japan and Germany. Now, however, the war has been over for a long time. We should not hold anything against those countries for what they did in the past. There is no reason that any American should not have forgiven them by now. If we dwell on the past, we will never be able to have good relationships with other countries, which is important.
However, it is very important that we do not let the past go away completely. The United States cannot ever forget what happened during the war, and neither can anyone else. If we do, we could end up repeating mistakes that have already been made. For example, it would be terrible to have another Holocaust situation. People need to remember those horrors so that no one will do anything like that again or think that it's okay.
Kaitlyn M.
I think that when we entered this war it was to help our european allies and to help other countries and people in the war. We as americans always want to help other people with their promblems. So I think that we entered the war to help our european allies and to help people that were being affected by the war.
I think that we learned alot from World War 2. And it is very important for us to not forget what happened over there. If we forget anything that we did we could make the same mistakes that we should have learned from while being in that war.So I think that it is very important to remember what we learned.
Eric Pina
5th
The approach to war was to protect our fellow allies who were in need. The War was mainly a way to gain economic and political power across the globe. It was more of a good-bad war. Either you was supporting Germany and the things they do, or you was siding with the Russians. America had a choice to enter or not to enter the War until they were forced by the Japanese when they attacked Pearl Harbor by surprise on December 7th, 1941. It was one of the few time America has been attacked on its on turf and FDR wasnt going to not do anything about it.
I dont think that we should forget anything about the past because it lets us know as Americans how far come and it also lets us know what no to do in the furture.
K.REED
6th Hr.
when entering world war two we wanted to help our allies. i think that we wanted to just help get rid of a bad person in-charge and look like the heros. Many countires wanted us to enter it and since then we've gaind respect. whenever we enterd a war it seemed as if we were there to seal it off. ww1 and ww2 show this. also we could never forget anything from world war two. plus they say history repeats itsself and it is now. we can learn from past wars. we can change things and maybe in the future learn how to not use war as our way of making peace.
-Jessica P 6th hour
World War II was such an epic part of American history and many would argue how to learn about it. In my opinion, we should explore both parts of the war. We need to see how the war affected our military and economy to understand why we are how we are now. The war did a lot, and if it didn't occur we would be in a completely different economical state.
I also think that we should learn about the tradgedy of it. So many innocent people died, and yes, it does get old to hear, but its important. It's important to hear how horrible the world can be to each other and to understand that it effects everyone when people die. We need to learn about all the aspects of World War II so that we don't make the same mistakes, or possibly say things that may offend people.
Lauren Lounsbery
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