Japanese Internment

Japanese Internment

Japanese Internment On December 7, 1941, an angry white neighbor came to the home of a Japanese American family. “You …started the war!” the neighbor yelled. “You bombed Pearl Harbor!” Of course, Japanese Americans had nothing to do with starting the war. But, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a cloud of suspicion settled on these loyal citizens.

Japanese Internment Throughout World History, decision makers have been challenged by questions about what constitutes fair and just actions during times of war. For example, in the U.S., the government has had to consider the extent of citizens’ rights in a democracy during wartime. To safeguard American security, can the government of the United States carry out actions that violate the rights of American citizens? Or may the Constitution never be violated even under wartime circumstances?

Japanese Internment • December 7, 1941 • Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor • February 19, 1942 • President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066 • allowed military authorities to exclude "any and all persons" from designated areas of the country as necessary for national defense

#2 California, 1942

Japanese Internment • Hawaii • Japanese-Americans = majority of population • government didn’t force them to relocate • West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington) • Japanese-Americans & Japanese immigrants forced to relocate • no other states wanted to take them

transport center, San Francisco, 1942 #3

internment camp–nouna prison camp for the confinement of enemy aliens, prisoners of war, political prisoners, etc. Definitions from Dictionary.com concentration camp–nouna guarded compound for the detention or imprisonment of aliens, members of ethnic minorities, political opponents, etc. Japanese Internment

Granada Relocation CenterColorado, 1943 #6

#8 Jerome Relocation Center, Arkansas, 1942

Japanese-American 442ndCombat Team, 1944 #10

#11 military interrogation, 1945

Japanese Internment