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

“I sometimes wonder if anyone will ever understand what I mean, if anyone will ever overlook my ingratitude and not worry about whether or not I’m Jewish and merely see me as a teenager badly in need of some good, plain fun.”

The reason why Americans would put Japanese Americans into internment camps is because the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans ("The Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor."). This was a surprise to the United States, not knowing the attack was going to happen was very upsetting. So, this lead to Americans becoming afraid and untrustful of Japanese Americans.

In the first place, there was no evidence to support all the accusations Americans had against Japanese-American. In the Article “The Japanese-American Internment”, paragraph 8 it states: “ Henry Steele Commager, comments, ‘It is sobering to recall that the record does not hold a single case of Japanese disloyalty or sabotage during the whole war.’ ” This shows that even though there was no documentation that Japanese had a breach of trust but still had their ‘ crimes’ held against them and were sent into the Japanese-American Internment.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

They had an obligation to help the country, and this was the way to do it. Japanese Americans had a patriotic duty to perform because they were citizens. During a time of war, all citizens have to make sacrifices, and this was their opportunity. The internment of

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.

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