Japanese And Japanese Internment Camps Essay

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the internment of Japanese Americans on the West coast of the United States. On going tension between the United States and Japan rose in the 1930’s due to Japan’s increasing power and because of this tension the bombing at Pearl Harbor occurred. This event then led the United States to join World War II. However it was the Executive Order of 9066 that officially led to the internment of Japanese Americans. Japanese Americans, some legal and illegal residents, were moved into internment camps between 1942-1946. The internment of Japanese Americans affected not only these citizens but the

Japanese-American Internment was the relocation of many Japanese-American and Japanese descendents into camps known as “War Relocation Camps” during World War II (specifically after the attack on Pearl Harbor). In 1942, the United States government relocated and interned approximately 120,000 Japanese-American citizens and people of Japanese descent into relocation camps. This internment lasted for about four years, and was backed by the government as well as the president. The last relocation camp was closed in January 1946, five months after World War II officially ended.

Startled by the surprise attack on their naval base at Pearl Harbor and anxious about a full-fledged Japanese attack on the United States’ West Coast, American government officials targeted all people of Japanese descent, regardless of their citizenship status, occupation, or demonstrated loyalty to the US. As my grandfather—Frank Matsuura, a nisei born in Los Angeles, California and interned in the Granada War Relocation Center (Camp Amache)—often

     For over a century, the United States has been one of the most powerful and influential states on the globe. However, every nation has made mistakes in its past. Throughout our country’s history, certain groups have had to endure horrible injustices: the enslavement of African-Americans, the removal of Native Americans, and discrimination against immigrants, women, homosexuals, and every other minority. During World War II, the government crossed the line between defending the nation and violating human rights, when it chose to relocate Japanese residents to internment camps. The actions taken by the U.S. government against Japanese Americans and Japanese living in the

Despite evidence pointing to the innocence of Japanese immigrants living in America, racial bias and irrational fears lead to the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans. When Pearl Harbor is attacked by the Japanese, wartime paranoia and discrimination spread through the US like wildfire. Fueled by fear of espionage, Franklin D. Roosevelt issues an order that relocates Japanese Americans to internment camps for an indefinite amount of time. The PBS article “Children of the Camps: Internment History” includes objective facts and sources to provide the audience with information while also utilizing word choice and language to maintain only the author’s point of view.

The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Many Americans were afraid of another attack, so the state representatives pressured President Roosevelt to do something about the Japanese who were living in the United States at the time. President Roosevelt authorized the internment with Executive Order 9066 which allowed local military commanders to designate military areas as exclusion zones, from which any or all persons may be excluded. Twelve days later, this was used to declare that all people of Japanese ancestry were excluded from the entire Pacific coast. This included all of California and most of Oregon and Washington.

The Japanese and Japanese-Americans were already discriminated based on race, their language and looks long before the government decided to isolate them in a hostile area. All peoples of Japanese ancestry were to be forcefully terminated from their homes and put in internment camps. After 3 years working, fighting in wars, dying of sickness and so much more hardships, all the 120,000 people were released back

Between 1861 and 1940 more than 250,000 Japanese immigrated to the United States and settled in Hawaii. They made a living by working in the sugarcane fields as contract workers. Once their contracts ended some stayed on and started a life there. Others moved on and settled on the West Coast of the mainland.

It’s WWII, and you’re confined in a tiny room; with your family and possibly another family of complete strangers. This is torture, and it is the opposite of the life and home you had to leave behind. You aren’t in a German concentration camp; you are a Japanese-American citizen living in one of many Internment Camps across the states. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the West Coast (which was very populated with Japanese-Americans) became worried about Japanese spies. Similar to concentration camps, relocation camps included anyone of a certain ancestry. The conditions were dreadful, and luckily it ended in 1946. Japanese-American citizens were being punished for their race; by being sent to relocation camps.

Was Japanese internment for security purposes or just plain jealousy and fabrications from Americans? In February 1942 President Franklin D Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which allowed military officials to move anyone of Japanese descent into internment camps. The U.S interned 110,000 to 120,000 people of Japanese descent (⅔ of which were American citizens) to one of 10 internment camps because of concern about national security, social/racial attitudes about Japanese and Japanese Americans, and economic issues including land, business ownership , and labor competition. There was no evidence to convict these people but they sent to the camps which were like prisons. Many Japanese had come to the west coast, which caused many Americans to be very nervous. Many Americans thought that the Japanese were spies in disguise.

In WWII the Germans killed over 6 million Jews while in the United States Japanese-Americans were put into camps but are they the same thing? Maybe but there is still more to know. The German Government put people that were Jewish or did not support the new government into Concentration camps and most died from being worked to death or being gassed. Meanwhile in the United States government officials were relocating Japanese-Americans because they were a “threat” to the government. Some people believe that the Concentration camps are the same thing.

So began the unfortunate time period of deliberate and straight forward persecution of the Japanese in America. During World War II, the great freedom touting United States of America practiced inexplicable discrimination against its own citizens, eliminating the freedom of all Japanese and Japanese Americans by placing them in constricted internment camps. Fear and hysteria cannot be permitted to cloud the judgment of individuals or a nation to such an extent as to remove the fundamental freedoms of human beings because of race, religion, or ethnicity

The attack on Pearl Harbor will forever be one of the most horrific attacks on United States soil. The Empire of Japan attacked the United States Naval and Air Force base at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The entire country was fearful of what would happen next. Citizens were on edge and fearful for their lives. Something had to be done to protect the nation.

Even with an apology to Japanese Americans for their internment, the Internment is still considered a dark mark in America’s history. On December 7, 1941, The United States declared war on Japan and entered World War II out of fear and to protect its own people, The United states set up Japanese internment camps for people of Japanese decent living in America. More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were taken from their homes and put into these camps. America claimed that the Japanese had no rights of citizenship and that this was the only and best way to protect The United States. The American Government tried to protect its nation at the cost of psychological and physical distress of those in the camps who were no longer granted civil liberties or natural rights.

During the second world war Japanese internment camps were very racist and had some of the worst living conditions. On December 7, 1941 The Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. After this bombing, Canada took a larger step into the involvement in the Second World War. The initial reaction to Pearl Harbor was to take emergency actions to avert all domestic rebellions. Soon after this the Canadian government passed the War Measures Act. It gave permission to intern all undesirable Japanese, tie up every Japanese-owned fishing boat in British Columbia, close all Japanese language schools, forbid the publishing of newspapers in Japanese, and seize all Japanese property. hJfhLKHsklAll of these things were subsequently carried out. This was done so by forcing