December 7, 1941, was a traumatic day for my mother, father and sister, and me. The events from that day were to eventually separate my family, my father's business was to be wiped out overnight, and my mother was to spend her final days a thousand miles away from her family."
~Peter Ota, at age 16
Source: "'A Date Which
Will Live in Infamy'" National Archives and Records Administration.
National Archives and Records Administration. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
<http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/day-of-infamy/>.
reasons for internment
Japanese Americans faced these conditions due to "national security"concerns as a result of the United States' war with Japan. There was much racial and cultural bias considering the fact that German and Italian Americans, who were also considered U.S. security threats at that time, were not sent in nearly the same number to internment camps as compared to Japanese Americans.
Each Japanese American citizen could only pack one bag and was allowed a time slot of forty-eight hours to leave their residence. They were forced to leave most everything they had, and sell what they could before departing. In desperation, many Japanese Americans attempted to sell their possessions for half their value before leaving for the internment camps. Upon returning from the camps, many found that their possessions had been stolen or ruined. Others faced economic turmoil and were left with virtually nothing.
Each Japanese American citizen could only pack one bag and was allowed a time slot of forty-eight hours to leave their residence. They were forced to leave most everything they had, and sell what they could before departing. In desperation, many Japanese Americans attempted to sell their possessions for half their value before leaving for the internment camps. Upon returning from the camps, many found that their possessions had been stolen or ruined. Others faced economic turmoil and were left with virtually nothing.
Below is a map depicting the various internment camps for Japanese Americans. Most of the imprisonment camps were located along the west coast, specifically in California.
CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE
THE VIOLATION OF RIGHTS
During World War II, Japanese Americans were culturally discriminated by the U.S. government. Despite being American citizens, they were forced to move from their residences to live in internment camps. In spite of the fact that a majority of these citizens were innocent, they were still sent to internment camps. They were seen as a "security threat" to the U.S. government, simply because of their ancestry. Even Japanese American World War I veterans, who had risked their life for the United States, were not excluded from the camps.
Source: "Japanese Internment in America Video." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2013. <http://www.history.com/shows/wwii-in-hd/videos/japanese-internment-in-america>.
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After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December of 1941, anti-Japanese sentiments were high. Two months later, in February of 1942, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066.This was a sad day in United States history for the human rights of Japanese Americans. |
Jimmie Kanaya Discusses His Reaction to the
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racism and prejudice
Japs live like rats, breed like rats, and act like rats. We don’t want them buying or leasing land and becoming permanently located in our state.”
~ Governor Clark of Idaho
Innocent American citizens were forced to leave their homes, friends, close their businesses, sell their property, and were separated form their families. No due process, the right to speak out, the right to an attorney, nor the right to petition were granted to the Japanese Americans. Japanese Americans did not know when or if they would return, and in desperation sold their property, stores, and assets. Because all the Japanese were selling at the same time, most received only half of their possessions' worth. On January 2, 1945, all Japanese American internees were released and allowed to return to their homes.
“A lady sitting in the front row of the bus saw me and said, ‘Damn Jap.’ Here I was a proud American soldier, just coming back with my new uniform and new paratrooper boots, with all my campaign medals and awards, proudly displayed on my chest and this?” |