Theodore Roosevelt's the Threat of Japan

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

The autobiography illustrates personal experiences of discrimination and prejudice while also reporting the political occurrences during the United States’ involvement in World War II. After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States government unleashed unrestrained contempt for the Japanese residing in the nation. The general public followed this train of thought, distrusting the Japanese and treating them like something less than human. In a country of freedom and justice, no coalition stepped up to defend the people who had lived there most of or all of their lives; rather, people took advantage of the Japanese evacuation to take their property and belongings. The government released demeaning propaganda displaying comical Japanese men as monsters and rats, encouraging the public to be vigilant and wary toward anyone of Japanese descent. The abuse of the Japanese during this period was taken a little too lightly, the government apologizing too late and now minor education of the real cruelty expressed toward the nation’s own citizens. Now we see history repeating itself in society, and if we don’t catch the warning signs today, history may just come full

I interpret the phrase, “Times of terror are times of eloquence,” as meaning that traumatic or undesirable situations produce memorable speeches which guide people into action or change attitudes. Emerson’s saying suggests the best speaking and writing rises from troubling events. The quote relates to the notion in Bitzer’s essay that true rhetorical discourse occurs when a speaker addresses an audience in response to a situation in order to induce change.

The Japanese Americans sustained many injustices during the pre-World War Two era, including exclusion from traditional establishments and occupations. It was noted, “the [economic] argument and the discriminatory measures are plain contradictions” (Goto 105-106). Although the stated goal of Californians was to have a unified population, their actions belied their true motives. The colossal nature of the assimilatory feats performed by Japanese dictated that “even Californian agitators themselves, in their moments of private reflection, admit the wonderful power of adaptability of Japanese,” but, “in public they do everything to prevent the process of assimilation from running its natural course” (Goto 106). Often, the bigoted owners of white establishments barred people of Japanese

To be a Japanese immigrant in the early 1900s was difficult but after December 7, 1941 things only got worse. On December 7, 1941, the Japanese Imperial Navy attacked the United States naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. “Although conflict had been underway in both Europe and Asia for years, the United States did not formally enter the hostilities until December 8, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously declared the attack on Pearl Harbor ‘a day which we live in infamy’ and asked Congress for a declaration of war” (Wu and Izumi). After the attack on Pearl Harbor “race became increasingly associated with loyalty in the United States” (Harth 254). “What Japan had done was blamed on Japanese Americans” (Wu 2). On February 19, 1942 President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 granted the secretary of war and his commanders the power “to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded” (Executive Order 9066). “Although the text of Executive Order 9066 did not specifically mention Japanese Americans, it was intended to apply to them exclusively” (G. Robinson and G. Robinson 4).

In Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War by Akira Iriye, the author explores the events and circumstances that ended in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, an American naval base. Iriye assembles a myriad of primary documents, such as proposals and imperial conferences, as well as essays that offer different perspectives of the Pacific War. Not only is the material in Pearl Harbor and the Coming of the Pacific War informative of the situation between Japan and the United States, but it also provides a global context that allows for the readers to interpret Pearl Harbor and the events leading up to it how they may. Ultimately, both Pearl Harbor and the subsequent Pacific War between

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”.

The Japanese prosperity was seen as a threat to the white population. By 1913 labor unions fearing that the Japanese workers were gaining organisational strength, put pressure on California legislators. In 1924, the Federal Government passed various Anti-Japanese legislation. 6

Throughout the Progressive Era, Theodore Roosevelt struggled with immigration regulation and foreign relations. As Anti-Japanese feelings erupted across the West Coast, Roosevelt had to take action in order to maintain good relations with the Japanese both internationally and domestically. Pressured by the Japanese immigrants’ response to the unfair transition to segregated schools, Roosevelt created the Gentlemen’s Agreement in hopes to sustain a sound relationship with Japan and maintain the United States’ moral and diplomatic stature.

Long before the start of WWII, American's felt that the Japanese posed a threat to their way of living. Whites in western states and territories viewed the Japanese immigrants as a source of economic competition. The immigration act of 1924 banned Japanese from entering the U.S. and created a hostile and discriminate

America’s recent ban on immigration and the President’s proposed Muslim registry are reminiscent of the way in which Americans treated Japanese-Americans in the early 20th century, particularly with the internment camps. In light of such recent events, it is necessary to analyze history while considering current-day events to avoid the repetition of America’s shameful past. The public backlash against the Japanese-American forced evacuation and internment was limited at best, often due to differing priorities for segments of the population or a lack of willingness to take action. While most whites did not speak out, some with decent public influence did but refrained from taking action; other minority groups, in acts of self-preservation,

1. How does the author describe racism in America towards Japan in the Second World War?

In September of 1940, a Triparte Treaty was signed involving Japan, Germany, and Italy. The treaty meant that the three countries were allies and if any country wanted war it would meant war with the other two. During decision-making plans Roosevelt used this to his advantage. Roosevelt knew an attack on United States by Japan, would be just what he needed for the American people to support his decision on a war against Japan and thus Germany by default. Consequently, Roosevelt put additional economic pressure on Japan and began to prepare the United States military. He enticed Germany by violating a neutral stance and made an agreement with Great Britain that either of the 2 or any 3rd country that was taken on by Japan would have the other’s backing. Japan had no choice other than to surrender or go to war when Roosevelt ended the Washington conference. Roosevelt also kept a weak Pacific Fleet in Hawaii in spite of conflicting naval recommendation that almost gave the Japanese an invitation to attack. Simultaneously, Roosevelt caused the United States commanders in Hawaii to be left without evidence that was decoded from Japanese dispatches. Commanders would have had warnings had the possibility of the impending attack been given to them. The Generals could have had the choice to keep the fleet at sea instead. Therefore the Japanese

How the United States and Japan integrated “previously despised populations into their nations in unprecedented ways, while at the same time denouncing racial discrimination and even considering these peoples as part of the national populations and, as such, deserving of life, welfare, and happiness” (Fujitani

Chaos and continual disorder encompassed the people across the globe in the years prior to the declaration of war between the Axis and Allied powers in 1939. The Great Depression that had struck soon after the First World War left much of the world unemployed and desperate for relief. Nationalism swept through Germany in response to the terms of the Versailles Treaty that ended World War I. China and Japan had been at war since Japanese troops invaded Manchuria in 1931. Germany, Italy, and Japan began multiple invasions and occupations of nearby countries. When they received no meaningful consequences for their aggressive actions, they felt emboldened and World War II began. In the midst of war and the growing totalitarian aggression, the