Florida US History EOC Practice Exam

The primary purpose of the Manhattan Project was to create atomic bombs for use in World War II. This secret research and development initiative was initiated by the United States, with support from the United Kingdom and Canada, in response to the concerns that Nazi Germany was working on developing nuclear weapons. The project brought together some of the greatest scientific minds of the time, including Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi, and culminated in the successful detonation of the first atomic bomb in 1945. The bombs developed through the Manhattan Project were subsequently dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, contributing to the conclusion of the war.

The other options do not align with the primary focus of the project: while developing a new strategy, conducting espionage, and aiding in post-war reconstruction were significant aspects of the overall war effort, they were not the central aim of the Manhattan Project itself. The project was specifically about harnessing nuclear fission to create a powerful weapon, which was a turning point in warfare and international relations.