As previously stated, technology does not always get passed from one society to another. Instead, many nations are deliberately left out of developments to benefit the people who hold the power. A clear example of this is war technology. Since the beginning of the birth of the United States, the manufacturing of weapons has been an issue, especially when this country could no longer get weapons from Great Britain. As weapons have become more advanced, who has access to them has become a ever greater issue. The “need” for weapons has often initiated inventors to create in ways otherwise left untouched, particularly due to the profit of inventing the right weapon. The government greatly rewards inventors of weapons. The inventor of the mousetrap is remembered because he also invented a machine gun (Hiram S. Maxim). It is no coincidence that the use of interchangeable parts first appeared in the manufacturing of rifles, and began the “American system” of mass production of materials. 13 Furthermore, it is the invention of the atomic bomb that allowed a different kind of war to be fought.
The creation of the bomb quickly altered the ways in which wars could be fought and the United States showed the power of atomic bombs in 1945, when it bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki bringing World War II to its end. The United States demonstrated its power swiftly in this situation. There is clear distinction between who benefited from this invention and who has not. Despite the fact that the United States holds nuclear warfare, it has not prevented other countries from gaining access to it nor does it make this country invincible.
Children’s literature illustrates the negative impacts of war on humanity. The fiction book, The Bomb by Theodore Taylor shows how the atomic bomb affected people, particularly the people living in the Bikini Atoll. The Bikini Atoll in the Pacific is the place where atomic bomb testing was performed. Each chapter of this book begins with a factual quote showing the development of the atomic bomb. Class discussion should include the many different perspectives given in this book: those of the Japanese, the natives on Bikini Atoll and the Americans. This book is an excellent resource to use with fifth and sixth graders in order to learn about the effects of war technology.
The example of the nuclear bomb is given to demonstrate how easily an invention can be seen as both harmful and helpful. The lesson from the Styrofoam box illustrates that the simplicity of an invention does not render it harmless. It is possible to argue the pros and cons of any invention. However, war inventions are especially important to discuss because they obviously cause harm. Lesson 3: The Gadget War by Karen Duffey uses a fiction story to illustrate how war inventions negatively impact people. The Gadget War begins with Kelly Sparks being the star of her class because she can invent all sorts of interesting gadgets and says she is the Gadget Wiz. Then, a new student enters the classroom and become the Real Gadget Wiz. Kelly and the new student, Albert Einstein Jones began a serious competition of inventions that are ways of playing jokes on each other, but the jokes turn into a way of seeking revenge on each other for the previous incident. The children call these new gadgets War Gadgets and they are very different than the previous gadgets Kelly created. This simple children’s book carefully shows how a creation can be harmless if used in the wrong way.
Even though technological advancements have been important in the modern world, it is also vital to recognize that some inventions have not been created for the advancement of humanity. Advancements made in technology only for the purpose of war are not beneficial to people, although many societies use the power the war products hold to advance. This is important message to teach children so that they understand the differences in the innovations in their world. While conveying this message, it is also important to give children an understanding of why inventing is exciting. Inventing has always been used as a way to solve problems. In The Gadget War, Kelly has three steps to inventing: “Identify the problem. Identify what you need to solve the problem. Invent it !!!.” Students can brainstorm alternative ways for Kelly and Albert to solve their problems. For older students, they can think about ways countries could have come to a consensus on issues without using war technology.