American Revolution
American Prometheus is largely about the American scientific revolution. In the early 19th century, America started experiencing the second scientific and technological revolution. Scientists from across the world started creating fundamental revolutions that changed the lives of people in different ways. Before the mid-19th century, the United States started working on its first atomic bomb to aid it in tackling any threats that World War I would pose. Launching the Manhattan Project to create an atomic bomb was a major American Revolution. Oppenheimer was appointed as the head coordinator of the project, and he successfully created the atomic bomb. During the conflict with Japan, the United States of America first used its atomic bomb in Hiroshima, and the impact was catastrophic. Therefore, the memoir gives detailed information about introducing nuclear weapons and their possible impact on the world if not well-regulated.
Ethical Culture
Oppenheimer was born in 1904 to German parents who lived as immigrants in the United States of America. The memoir by Kia Bird and Martin J. Sherwin explores the complexity of the American culture and the beliefs and customs of the second generation of German immigrants in the early 19th century. The second generation of German immigrants was ethically and culturally Jewish. However, the entire New York City at the time had no synagogue. Oppenheimer and his family followed an ethical culture that shaped their identity and celebrated Jewishness, rationalism, and the progressiveness of secular humanism. The Jewish ethical culture helped Oppenheimer be an innovative-oriented person, which later helped him excel in his physicist career.
Resilience, hard work and determination
One of the main topics in American Prometheus by Kia Bird and Martin J. Sherwin is Oppenheimer’s resilience, hard work, and determination that led to his massive success in his career. Kia Bird and Martin J. Sherwin depict Oppenheimer as a brilliant and focused enterprising person since childhood. After finishing his university education in German, Oppenheimer's first major assignment was to transform a bleak mesa in New Mexico into a global nuclear laboratory. People did not believe such a milestone could be made during that time, but Oppenheimer was determined to impact the world significantly. Due to his resilience, hard work, and determination, Oppenheimer successfully created the first nuclear laboratory in the world. Later when recruited as the head coordinator in the Manhattan Project, Oppenheimer worked tirelessly to ensure that he created the first atomic bomb in the world. Consequently, the memoir shows readers that nothing is impossible if one is determined, focused, and resilient.
