World War II Prison Camps for Japanese-Americans Essay

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

On December 7, 1941 Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Hawaii right before 8 am. The officers working that day had just woken up, having breakfast, and not expecting a thing. Because of that they were unprepared. The USS Arizona was one of the many ships that got hit. The ship immediately sank, taking 1,177 crew members on that ship. Japan’s aggression was literally being fueled by the United States. Beginning with the late-1940, the United States grew less patient with Japanese atrocities and began to restrict trade with the empire. In Europe busy fighting Hitler, the United States remained the only obstacle to the establishment of a huge Japanese empire spanning East Asia.

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

Throughout history of not only the United States but also the world, racism has played a huge role in the treatment of other humans. A dark mark in United States history, the Japanese Relocation during WWII is a prime example of this racism coming into play. Whether or not this event was necessary or even justified, however, is a constant question for historians even nowadays. The Japanese relocation of the 1920’s unnecessary and unjustified because it’s main causes: selfish economic plots by farmers, unrealistic military measures, and blatant racism.

     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

officials eventually began to recruit these internees into the American army. Not only was WWII a war about political alliances and geographical sovereignty, but it was also a war about race and racial superiority throughout the world. Propagating this idea, Dower (1986) argues, “World War Two contributed immeasurably not only to a sharpened awareness of racism within the United States, but also to more radical demands and militant tactics on the part of the victims of discrimination” (War Without Mercy: p.5). In elucidating the racial motivations and fallout from WWII, Dower helps one realize the critical role that race and racial politics played during the war and are still at play in our contemporary world. An analysis of this internment process reveals how the ultimate goal of the U.S. internment of Japanese Americans and the United States’ subsequent occupation of Japan was to essentially “brainwash” the Japanese race into demonstrating allegiance to America.

Was the internment of Japanese Americans a compulsory act of justice or was it an unwarranted, redundant act of tyranny which breached upon the rights of Japanese Americans? During World War II thousands of Japanese Americans were told by government officials that they had twenty-four hours to pack their things, get rid of any belongings of theirs, and to sell their businesses away for less than retail value. Although many people thought the Japanese American internment was needed to ensure U.S. security during the war against Japan, these relocation centers were unnecessary violations of Japanese Americans’ rights. These concentration camps are unconstitutional because they infringed upon the Japanese Americans’ first, seventh, and eighth

The President knew that at a time like this the people of the United States felt that their lives were in great danger. He let the people know that all measures would be taken for the country’s defense. He knew that many people would be afraid to enter the war so he gave the country determination to win the war.

Like all issues involving race or war, the question of whether or not it was legal and ethical to make Japanese Americans move to relocation camps in early WWII is a difficult and controversial problem. The internment of around 50,000 Japanese citizens and approximately 70,000 Japanese-American people born in the U.S. living in the American West Coast has become known as a tragedy and mistake. The government even set up numerous projects to apologize to the American citizens who were wronged (Bosworth). Still, at the time that the decision to relocate was made, the actions were constitutionally legal and seen by many as necessary. The actions were not based on racist feelings. It was, however,

The question of the need for a declaration of war dates all the way back to the presidency of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson sent a squadron of warships to the Mediterranean to protect U.S. shipping against the forces of the Bey of Tripoli. Jefferson's instructions to the squadron were that they act in a defensive manner only, with a strictly defined order of battle. When a Tripolitan cruiser shot at a U.S. ship, the U.S. forces seized the ship, disarmed it, and released it. Jefferson's message to Congress on the incident indicated that he felt the acts to be within constitutional bounds. Alexander Hamilton wrote to Congress and espoused his belief that since the United States did not start the conflict, the United States was in a state of war,

The Japanese internment camps ruined the lives of the many Japanese-Americans who were involved. On December 7, Japan bombed pearl harbor and killed many Americans. This is what caused the Japanese-American internment camps. Pearl Harbor was a place in Hawaii where American ships were stationed. Japanese planes bombed the fleet and destroyed it. This is significant because it was a big time of racism and discrimination towards Japanese people. It later showed that Americans were wrong and changed the way people looked at Japanese-Americans. It also caused America to enter World War II. The Japanese internment camps of World War II was wrong by the American government and a hard time for the Japanese victims because

Heading into the postwar era, they found comfort in forming tight-knit communities that preserved cultural traditions. In 1991, a community also raised funds for a “$10 million cultural center in Ontario to honor those relocated or interned” (Mercier 4). Internment showed America how strong-willed and resilient Japanese Americans are, but it further reinforced the deeply rooted racism that is present. One of the better ways to look at the negative impacts internment has had on the American racial landscape, is to look at a state of the U.S. that did not participate in internment for the most part; Hawaii. Japanese Americans in Hawaii were not consolidated into camps, and during World War 2, many of them made “exemplary contributions in the form of volunteer soldiers and war workers” (Robinson, 2). This is just one example of how Japanese Americans could have contributed to the war effort and community development if they were not interned in the other states. Not only could they have helped during the war, but racial relations would not have been strained to the extent they are

In both inside and outside internment camps, Japanese American women had the most revolutionary change during World War II. Although living conditions were horrendous during incarceration, Japanese American women found opportunities to broaden their horizon with recreation and education – something that they did not have prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Jobs were available for both married and unmarried women and were given higher wages than they were before, high enough to match how much men were making in the fields. They were able to spend more time to be with family and community peers. Though some women stayed with their families in internment camps, some decided to volunteer for the U.S. military for war.

By listing each individual attack, Roosevelt depicted the Japanese people as villains and monsters to assist in the unification of all American citizens, for his vilification united the U.S. population under one common enemy: Japan. Additionally, the president displayed numerous tones throughout his speech; his first line provided his audience with a solemn and grave attitude that they were expecting with the word “infamy”. Furthermore, as he progresses with the speech, he acknowledged the countless American lives lost, thus provoking the vindictive nature within all humans. However, the public at this time were in fear and shock of the recent attack. Roosevelt alleviated their sense of panic and defeat by reassuring that justice will be sought and the nation will recover from the tragic devastation with a strength in their impending war with the Japanese--he gave them optimism and hope of a new future in spite of the recent occurrences

Up to this day, may America never forget this life changing event. Japan had their own allies such as Nazi Germany, and Fascist Italy that also declared war against The United States. This later led to The United States joining and becoming part of World War II. Japan thought of a good way to show their strength due to the fact that they were struggling with their economy and losing money to support their military. :Japan was heavily dependent on American supplies of oil and metal, with American shipments accounting for 80% of Japan’s oil and copper imports and almost half of its scrap iron imports” (Sass, The Economic Vise). America also cut of their resources which led to Japan losing even more money. Japan got angry at this causing Commander Isoroku Yamamoto to plan this surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.