We've finished our unit on World War 2 but that doesn't mean that we've answered all of the questions out there. After the test this week, you guys came up with some very interesting thoughts and questions that showed some deeper thinking. Here are some of the best questions (
you're responsible for answering at least one by Pie Day 3/14 Wednesday at 11:30 a.m.):1. What happened in Detroit in 1943 that created all the tension for the race riot? - Shayna
2. To what degree did Hitler's service in World War I influence his later politics? - Martin
3. Holocaust deniers claim that the Holocaust never occurred, yet how can they deny it with so much visual, actual proof? - Martin
4. I know that the U.S. had a great military back during the war, but it's hard for me to understand how in some of the battles there was such a huge difference in the number of casualties. For instance, at Iwo Jima, 6,000 Americans vs. 20,500 Japanese. Okinawa was much worse: 12,600 (7,600 soldiers + 5,000 sailors) Americans vs. 110,000 Japanese. What do you think accounts for the difference in the numbers? - Colleen
5. According to the textbooks, we saw Stalin as an ally during the war but he was responsible for killing more of his own people than Hitler. Everyone knows about Hitler and the Holocaust but we hear little about Stalin and these deaths. Why is that? - Allison and Colleen
6. Since there were so many more Jews in the concentration camps than Nazis, why didn't they try to band together and fight back? - Shayla, Andy R.
7. In every war there are P.O.W.s. Did the United States have any enemy P.O.W.s during WW2 like we do now with the Iraq War at Guantanamo Bay? Do you think we treated them as badly?
- Alex S.
8. What if the U.S. didn't enter the war, how would the U.S./the world be different today? - Ashley, Jill, Lori, Kaitlyn,
9. Do you think that Oppenheimer and those other scientists really thought that they were "saving lives" when they built the atomic bomb? - Alex L.
10. Why would anyone be a kamikaze pilot? What must it be like? Did his family receive anything in return? - Ryan, Crystal, Ciara, Andrew W., Larry, Brittany, Adam
11. Have we really learned from the Holocaust when we look at Rwanda and Darfur? - Crystal
12. How would you have survived the concentration camps? Would you have struggled on and lived through the horror or would you have rather died and been spared the agony? - Megan
13. What made Hitler the way he was? How did he become so popular and influential? - Hannah, Larry, Erin, Samantha, Adam, Ryan, Jasmine, Imani, Shayna, Martin, Claire, Trevor, Leah, Shayla,
14. How are relations between the U.S. and Japan today? Do the atomic bombs play any role in these relations? - Alice
15. Where was Superman during all this time? - Thomas
Editor's Note: I think I found the answer, Thomas. Unfortunately, the action in the comics never matched reality. Detroit News account of 1943 race riot: http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=185&category=eventsAlso, I've checked Ebay and ration books are selling for between $1 and $10 if you're interested in having your own set. When looking for info on Hitler, take care to make sure your source is very credible. Like with most historical figures, legends have been repeated so often that they have become fact. That makes it difficult to find accurate info. Please post just your first name and last initial.
While watching the Martin Luther King, Jr. video, I wondered why many African Americans after King's death started to riot in their anger to blame and attack white people. It is not that I don't understand why they were angry, but I think that their reactions to King's death is a betrayal of his ideals and everything he was fighting for. 
Martin S. - 5th Hour
