(#1) Q1 - Whole Group Intro: Sherman's March and the Ethics of War
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Last updated almost 4 years ago
12 questions
Required
1
Take a minute to think about the following question and then write a quick response: Is it ever okay to target noncombatants (people not in the military) in a war?
Take a minute to think about the following question and then write a quick response: Is it ever okay to target noncombatants (people not in the military) in a war?
Ethics
What is ethics? What does it mean to be ethical? How does this relate to warfare?
- “Ethics” is the moral standard we use to govern our behavior and the way that we conduct ourselves.
- “Being ethical” means that we conform to acceptable standards of behavior and that we conduct ourselves in a way that is acceptable to the rest of society.
- Ethics is involved in warfare when we look at the decisions made during conflicts - are these decisions considered acceptable by the majority of the people in the society or do the decisions violate some of the basic principles of human behavior?
Required
1
List two behaviors or actions that most people today would consider to be “ethical.”
List two behaviors or actions that most people today would consider to be “ethical.”
Required
1
List two behaviors or actions that most people today would consider to be “unethical.”
List two behaviors or actions that most people today would consider to be “unethical.”
Required
1
What is the underlying difference between the actions that you listed in #1 and #2? Why are some considered “ethical” and some considered “unethical”?
What is the underlying difference between the actions that you listed in #1 and #2? Why are some considered “ethical” and some considered “unethical”?
Required
1
How do we decide if actions made during wartime are ethical? What actions are acceptable to the majority of people in society? Does being acceptable automatically make them ethical?
Look at the actions listed below and categorize them based on your own personal beliefs. Do you think that action is morally acceptable? Then place it with "Definitely Ethical."Do you think that action is completely unacceptable? Then place it with "Never Ethical."Are you unsure? Does it depend on the circumstance? Then place it with "Maybe Ethical."
How do we decide if actions made during wartime are ethical? What actions are acceptable to the majority of people in society? Does being acceptable automatically make them ethical?
Look at the actions listed below and categorize them based on your own personal beliefs.
Do you think that action is morally acceptable? Then place it with "Definitely Ethical."
Do you think that action is completely unacceptable? Then place it with "Never Ethical."
Are you unsure? Does it depend on the circumstance? Then place it with "Maybe Ethical."
- Killing an armed enemy
- Torturing an enemy
- Executing prisoners of war
- Stealing cultural artifacts (ex: artwork) from the enemy
- Killing noncombatants/civilians during an official battle
- Using poison or chemical weapons against the enemy
- Attacking churches and schools of the enemy
- Forcing prisoners of war to fight for your army
- Executing traitors (people on your side who decide to help the enemy)
- Destroying the private property of the enemy
- Committing crimes against civilians (ex: burglary or assault)
- Withholding medical care from prisoners of war
- Retaliating against the enemy as a means for revenge ("an eye for an eye")
- Destroying the enemy's transportation and communication networks
- Attacking the hospitals of the enemy
- Executing people who spy for the enemy
- Bombing a location that has both combatants and noncombatants
- Definitely Ethical
- Maybe Ethical/Depends on Situation
- Never Ethical
Required
1
Look at the previous question and choose one action per category (one "Definitely Ethical," one "Maybe Ethical," and one "Never Ethical" and explain your reasoning for each one. You should end up with three different sentences.
Look at the previous question and choose one action per category (one "Definitely Ethical," one "Maybe Ethical," and one "Never Ethical" and explain your reasoning for each one. You should end up with three different sentences.
In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued “General Orders No. 100: Instructions for the Government of the Armies of the United States in the Field” (aka the “Lieber Code,” named for its primary author Franz Lieber). The Lieber Code was one of the first modern codifications regulating the conduct of the U.S. Army during times of conflict and is still referenced today in the Department of Defense’s Laws of War manual. Prior to the Lieber Code, most armies conducted themselves based upon customs and precedents. Following the Lieber Code, leaders around the world have worked to ratify both national and international agreements that govern the rules of war, including one of the most widely-adhered-to international treaties in existence, the Geneva Conventions of 1949. Although the Lieber Code was distributed to every Union general in 1863, there is debate as to the extent of its influence on the conduct of these generals during the Civil War.
The Union general whose name has been most associated with the rules of war during this era was William Tecumseh Sherman, a commander who led troops in numerous battles throughout the war but is best known for his “March to the Sea” through Georgia in 1864. William Tecumseh Sherman employed a strategy known as “hard war” or “total war,” which he claimed was essential for a Union victory in the Civil War, but which Southerners viewed as barbaric and cruel.
Required
1
Who issued the "General Orders No. 100" (aka "The Lieber Code") to the Union Army?
Who issued the "General Orders No. 100" (aka "The Lieber Code") to the Union Army?
Required
1
The Lieber Code was one of the first documents that explained how the U.S. Army should conduct itself during times of war.
The Lieber Code was one of the first documents that explained how the U.S. Army should conduct itself during times of war.
Required
1
The Lieber Code is still referenced in the modern U.S. Army guidelines today.
The Lieber Code is still referenced in the modern U.S. Army guidelines today.
Required
1
What is the name of the most-widely-adhered-to international treaty regarding the rules of war today?
What is the name of the most-widely-adhered-to international treaty regarding the rules of war today?
Required
1
The Union general whose name is most associated with the rules of war during the Civil War was Ulysses S. Grant.
The Union general whose name is most associated with the rules of war during the Civil War was Ulysses S. Grant.
Required
1
What kind of warfare did General William Tecumseh Sherman use at the end of the Civil War?
What kind of warfare did General William Tecumseh Sherman use at the end of the Civil War?