Alleged Seditious Utterances

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Japanese American people were seen as enemies, conspirators, and dangerous even though they wanted to live and be a part of life in America. Because of the hysteria from the war, people began to think that the Japanese people were planning another attack, when there was no proof that pointed to that. The Attorney General of California, Earl Warren, believed that, “The fifth column activities that we are to get, are timed, just like the invasion of France, and of Norway… I believe that we are just being lulled into a false sense of security...Our day of reckoning is bound to come.” Later when Warren becomes Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, he regrets his decisions and words involved with the Japanese American

However racist the country was as a whole, not all Americans concurred with their government about the Japanese. Some thought that the military ambition of Japan was a

Rehnquist, as its stated in document 4, the public officials called for Japanese relocation because there was an attack in Pearl Harbor, by people of the Japanese Race. Many American Citizens were paranoid that anyone of the Japanese Race was going to commit an act of terrorism, however the Japanese living in America didn’t do anything wrong. The number one reason Japanese Americans were relocated was so that the Japanese would not commit sabotage, as stated by President Roosevelt in document 5a. The Espionage Act was put in place to protect the act of treason. According to Stanley Kutler, one motive to intern Japanese Americans because the government thought they would gain popularity and power. The government knew people who were Japanese and living in America posed no threat to the citizens of the United States of America. The government just did all of the relocation ,Espionage act for show, and to make the American citizens feel safer. Mr. Justice Jackson stated in document 6 that Korematsu is a citizen of the United States and of California. Korematsu was born in the United States of America, he has never done anything seriously wrong, or against the United States of America. The only “crime” he commited is his parents being born in Japan and him being born in America. He did not commit any sort of crime or any sort of act of treason, he did absolutely nothing

Despite the fact that an attack on the US mainland would have been extremely difficult with being so far away and not very technologically advanced, “public opinion in 1942 thought otherwise” (Document 14). This is even confirmed by Attorney General Biddle, who in 1942 stated that “The present military situation does not at this time require the removal of American citizens of the Japanese race” (Document 6), and shows the deep rooted racism in the reasoning for removal. Despite the facts, the public panic caused by the media caused Japanese internment to become “military necessity”, causing a lack in their loyalty to the United States (Takaki). The assumption of disloyalty played a large role in the Japanese internment, even though the Japanese that were in Hawaii, closest to the attack, were actually extremely helpful and essential to the rebuilding of Hawaii after the attack (Fraser). The claim for “military necessity” is undermined with the fact that the Attorney General Biddle opposed the relocation for the very fact that it wasn’t actually necessary (Takaki). Since “there (was) no evidence of planned sabotage”, then the relocation of Japanese during the 1940s was unnecessary and unjust, without any facts to back it up with besides racism, the main root of the

Hitler “claimed to have acted out of sincere, patriotic motives” (White). Also during this trial,

"…neither can they fully convey our Nation 's resolve to rectify injustice and to uphold the rights of individuals. We can never fully right the wrongs of the past. But we can take a clear stand for justice and recognize that serious injustices were done to Japanese Americans during World War II."

The decision to imprison Japanese Americans was a popular one in 1942. It was supported not only by the government, but it was also called for by the press and the people. In the wake of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, Japan was the enemy. Many Americans believed that people of Japanese Ancestry were potential spies and saboteurs, intent on helping their mother country to win World War II. “The Japanese race is an enemy race,” General John DeWitt, head of the Western Defense Command wrote in February 1942. “And while many second and third generation Japanese born in the United States soil, possessed of United States citizenship, have become ‘Americanized,’ the racial strains are

December 7, 1941, the day after the Japanese attacked, the US government and the FBI began to follow community leaders with strong Japanese ties. As American citizens, Issei and Nisei had enjoyed the rights of any US citizen; “now their own government imposed strict curfews on them and raided their homes for ‘contraband’ or anything that showed special connection to their former homeland”(“Japanese-American Relocation”). They suspected and wanted to be sure that no Japanese Americans were spies and was sending information to anyone from their homeland, but by doing so they striped them of their American rights that all Americans have but the Japanese Americans.

On February 19th, 1942 in the midst of world war two 120,000 Americans were put prison for their ethnic background.These people may have been of Japanese descent but I am steadfast in the belief that they were no less american than anyone else. The interment of the Japanese americans was a racist, unjust, and illogical act the will forever leave a stain on america’s honor as a nation.

After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese that propelled the U.S. into World War II, paranoia causes President Roosevelt to sign an executive order forcing all people of Japanese ancestry; including those born in the U.S. to be moved to concentration camps. Even in the towns where the camps were located, stores would post signs saying “No Japs Allowed”.

Speaking out in favor of placing Japanese-Americans in camps for the remainder of the war, at the time Earl Warren thought that was the best thing to do. He had heard military intelligence state that Japanese-American fishermen, who often went out into the Pacific Ocean at night, might be signaling enemy submarines. While he had qualms about abrogating the civil rights of Japanese-Americans, he was also a patriot who wanted to support the war effort.

During this time of injustice to the Japanese, the Americans were to busy with war to notice that what they were doing was wrong. As the war settled down and the internment camps released their people, the president declared that the unfair treatment of the Japanese was a national mistake.

This was only the beginning of our stroll down the path of the Third Reich. In the early months of 1942 Japanese Americans were forbidden to server in California's civil service. As well, all German, Italian, and Japanese aliens were ordered to leave San Francisco Waterfront areas. Soon laws were passed in which the US Army began restricting

Ronald Takaki told his experiences of military men, immigrants, and the government during World War II. The United States was hypocritical having ethnic groups fight for freedom but not treated as equal individuals nor having full access to the “Four Freedoms”. (Takaki, 7) As articulated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941, the Four Freedoms are freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. Equally important, Ruth Benedict argued that Hitler’s Anti-Semitism required Americans to challenge their own racism. (Takaki, 6) There is no master race, as Hitler argued. Everyone is from one race: the human race. During World War II racism was not only in the service it was also still going on with civilians. As World War II took place, Takaki expressed his feelings about the military men, the immigrants, and the government because the United States was very hypocritical. All of this can be seen in the WWII experiences of Japanese Americans, African-Americans and women.

To the Americans, the Japanese, unlike the Germans, were all a race to be hated. Because the Germans