This activity complements the teacher’s lesson on deterrence and nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Students will learn the logic behind deterrence theory and Mutually Assured Destruction. In the advanced version, students will look closer at today’s U.S. deterrence strategy.

Terms Learned: game theory, Prisoner’s Dilemma, Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD), deterrence, deterrence by force, deterrence by denial, deterrence by force, Nuclear Triad, extended deterrence

Secondary Terms: rational actor, second-strike capabilities

Students design parts of a fictional Manhattan Project exhibit by consulting primary sources and identifying relevant artifacts.

Students read "The Butter Battle Book" to examine more complicated themes of nuclear weaponry.

Through various creative writing assignments, students examine the complicated history of bomb survivors.

Students imagine the scene at Trinity through a variety of creative writing assignments.