Describe some example from past or contemporary history where the natural human rights of people have been violated in some way, especially by a tyrant and/or despotic government.

This is the atrocity I ask you to write about
December 7, 1941: In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly
20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes. Dry docks and airfields were likewise
destroyed. Most important, 2,403 sailors, soldiers and civilians were killed and about 1,000
people were wounded. This was a war crime. It was an attack against the US naval base
in Pearl Harbor. The US was neutral up until that point and was not at war with Japan. Attacks
against neutral countries constitute a war of aggression and the Japanese did that when they
attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941.

Instructions:
FOR THIS ESSAY: Describe some example from past or contemporary history where the
natural human rights of people have been violated in some way, especially by a tyrant and/or
despotic government. (This is meant to be a philosophically-thinking essay. You should consult
the files in Canvas on Moral Philosophy and the UN Declaration of Human Rights to help you
point out the immorality of the atrocity you choose to describe. If you choose to present a
critique of an unjust war and/or unethical actions that were perpetrated during a war, you
can consult the ETHICAL ISSUES file for this course, and, on the internet, you can download
information on the Geneva Convention regulations that should be followed in the event of a
war.)
Choose an example from the list of historical atrocities included in the pages below.
Beware of plagiarism. Do not simply copy material from some other source, but describe the
issue you choose in your own words. On the basis of your research, you should be able to give
an objective critique of the problem in question and thus, engage in critical thinking.
In your paper, answer the following questions:
1. What is the atrocity in question?
2. When did it occur, and where?
3. Who was responsible?
4. For what reasons were people victimized? In other words, what is known of the
reasons the perpetrators of these atrocities used as reasons to justify the atrocity they
were committing against others? Why did it seem right in their minds to be doing what
they were doing? Do you think they were sound reasons, or not? If not, explain why?
2
5. Why do you think this atrocity deserves to be considered a moral evil?
6. What should humanity learn from the occurrence of this atrocity, if anything?
[A] Begin your paper by identifying what moral atrocity you are going to consider.
[B] Write your paper, based on historical evidence.
[C] Avoid fallacies of induction, deduction, speech, written expressions, and irrelevance.
[Consult the Logic file, as needed.]
[D] Use an acceptable formatting system, such as that provided by MLA, to compose your
essay.
[E] If you include citations in the body of your essay, provide the source of each citation,
preferably right after the citation quoted in the text of your essay. Do not use too many
citations, or there wont be enough room for the writing of your essay in 3 pages. The
cumulative, total amount of citations in your essay should not be more than of one
page, or no more than about 20% of your essay.

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