Japanese American Crisis: August 10, 1988 Ronald Reagan

While the attack on Pearl Harbor was a devastating time in United States history and the attack being conducted by the Japanese government, it didn’t not justify Japanese Americans being put into internment camps. The fear of a Japanese attack on mainland United States soil prompted the United States government to create these internment camps. Such fear lead to innocent Japanese Americans to live in a way that could be considered inhuman. Of the hundreds of thousands of Japanese Americans in the internment camps half of them were children. The conditions of the camps where no way of life and Japanese Americans were forced to live in an undignified life that

Ronald Reagan, President of the United States from 1981 through 1989, created economic policies throughout his presidency that aimed to pull the United States out of a recession. His policies, called Reaganomics, reduced government spending and reduced tax rates in order to foster economic growth. Reagan also appointed many conservative judges to the Supreme Court and federal courts in order to shift ideologies to the right. Because of this, Reagan was both underrated and overrated as a president.

The beginning of everything that the Japanese citizens of our nation had to endure,was the bombing of an American Naval Base. It was an early sunday morning on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese attacked a naval base in Hawaii known as Pearl Harbor (DeWitt 1). This act of war cause 2,400 American people aboard a naval ship die. After the attack, President Roosevelt and congress declared war on Japan, with America declaring war on Japan , Japanese-Americans suffered immensely. In fear that the Japanese may attack the weakened west coast, President Roosevelt signed an order, known as Executive Order No. 9066, which let the military remove Japanese-Americans or anyone of the Japanese decent ,and have them relocated into internment camps. Interment

“Herd ‘em up, pack ‘em off, and give ‘em the inside room in the badlands”(Hearst newspaper column). Many Americans were feeling this way toward people of Japanese descent after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The feelings Americans were enduring were motivated largely by wartime hysteria, racial prejudice, and a failure of political leadership. The Japanese-Americans were being denied their constitutional rights, they were provided poor living conditions in these relocation camps, and by the time apologies and reparations were paid to the Japanese, it was too late.

In the documentary, American Experience: A Family Gathering, directed by Lise Yasui and Ann Tegnell, explores three generations of the Yasui family immigration to Oregon in the early 1900s, and through their imprisonment in internment camps during World War Two as Japanese-Americans. I found this documentary heart-warming, eye-opening and emotional to what the Japanese immigrants had to deal with when immigrating to the United States and different insights to what went through their minds before, during and after World War Two. From watching the documentary, I can’t even fathom how a civil and nothing but perfect Japanese family like the Yasui family, could immigrate to the United States, establish themselves with work, a home and the start a family, could be seen as enemies of the country and lose everything for just looking or sounding Japanese. I mean, when I was growing up and I read books about Pearl Harbor or looked at pictures, videos and the film about Pearl Harbor, I right away got mad and emotional about those attacks and got a sense of anger from those attacks and found myself thinking that the Japanese deserved what they got and brought it upon themselves, which is harsh. Now, I was just a young child and to get those feelings years later, should show to a degree on how easy it was for Americans to be upset, angered and thought of the Japanese-Americans as evil people at the time. The Pearl Harbor attacks were one of the hardest attacks on U.S. soil from a

Ronald Reagan has the belief that America is a superior nation. He believes that it is the center of morality and that it has the role of ensuring that its best ideals are spread to the rest of the world. He believed that people and especially the Americans are moral enough such that they were not in a position to oppress other people. He believes that the American children need to pray in

When Pearl Harbor was hit they removed 5,000 Japanese-Americans from the U.S. army on December, 19412. They army took away Japanese-American rights as citizens, by not allowing them to be apart of the United States Army. The selective services renamed them “enemy aliens” and stopped the draft of Japanese-American citizens. Military officials denied Japanese-Americans citizenships. December 7th, 19412, FBI arrested selected Japanese-American nationals on the West coast, they never returned home. They never got to say goodbye to their family until after six years, when the war was over.

The phenomenon dubbed the “Reagan Revolution,” can have its roots traced back decades, as early as the 1950s. It is important to start in this era, as it sets the stage for the 60s, which ultimately leads into the 70s and 80s, as history tends to portray a cause and effect relationship. Each of these generations contribute to this revolution of conservatism becoming the most popular view in the nation because of their cultural and social elements, with the 60s being the most important period. However, there is also an effect that stems from the previous Presidents, and their governing abilities, or lack thereof, that held office before Reagan. Ultimately, it is a blend of these two components at the same time in their respective decades,

The Japanese-American placement in internment camps was wrong and unconstitutional. The Japanese-American people had been living in the United States without question until the uprise of racial prejudice brought on by the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Many Japanese-Americans had been born in America and lived an American life, integrated into American schools, speaking with American accents, and enjoying American culture. But, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the Japanese were suddenly seen as threats that needed to be controlled. Without any consent, these Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps with poor conditions and treated as if they were ticking time bombs themselves.

The United States during the mid to late 70’s was in a constant state of alert; millions of citizens waiting for the piercing sounds of the air raid sirens to slice through the night air. America was in need of a leader, someone who could unify a divided country and save it from crushing economic failure. One man saw his need and stood up to the task, his name is President Ronald Reagan. Reagan rose to power as President during one of the most critical periods in not only American history, but also, World history: The arms standoff of the cold war. His actions as a unifier in the homeland and as a diplomat in foreign halls changed the way Americans and citizens of the world lived their lives.

Despite the papers supposedly claiming Japanese American sabotage, the internment of US citizens of Japanese descent following the bombing of Pearl Harbor was not justified, resulting into violation of the Constitution’s Fifth and Fourteenth amendments.

Ronald Reagan worked to bring the ideal of American back to the country, to set the economy on the right track, and to end the Communist threat that had been present since the end of World War II. Lowered the federal income tax rate significantly with the signing of the Economic Recovery Tax Act. Escalated the War on Drugs campaign and specified a mandatory minimum penalty for drug offenses. Increased spending on national defense and diplomacy and ushered in a close to the Cold War.

To begin after the bombing all Japs were blamed for being in on the bombing. For example, every Japanese person not born in America was taken away to a camp on Kauai. Furthermore the Japanese born in America didn't get treated any better, most people despised them and focused all the blame on them. Also, all Japanese boat were taken and sunk all because America thought they may use the boats against them. The life after the Pearl Harbor bombing seams very mean and unfair so far.

Before pearl harbor, Japanese Americans contributed greatly to America. They obeyed laws and were friendly and trusted people. After pearl harbor, and the rumor that there were Japanese spies, their reputations were ruined. Many lost their homes and businesses. They were sent to internment camps where many died or were treated horribly.

Prior to Reagan’s inauguration the country was suffering from double-digit inflation, high interest rates, high unemployment, oil shortages, and