{ Japanese American Internment By: Alicia Gupte

 Anti-Japanese sentiments have existed in America for several decades prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.  On December7, 1941, Japan attacked the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, which led to America’s entry into the second world war.  During that period, two-thirds of 119,000 Japanese Americans were living in California, Washington, and Oregon.  Citizens of America put the blame on the Japanese Americans for the attack on pearl harbor. Since the Japanese American citizens had ancestors in Japan they were considered a threat to national security.  About 127,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during the war. AFTERMATH OF PEARL HARBOR

Pear Harbor Japanese imprisonment AFTERMATH OF PEARL HARBOR

 February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive order No  It allowed the US military to evade the constitutional provisions of American citizens in the name of national defense.  Designated areas from which “any or all persons may be excluded.” “ From which any or all persons, Japanese or Japanese American descent may be excluded.” –Franklin D. Roosevelt EXECUTIVE ORDER 9066 Internment: This refers to the forced imprisonment and relocation of a group of people.  Communities of Japanese Americans were given instructions to follow for the relocations due to which many had to sell their homes, quit their jobs, and were forced to say goodbye to their regular life.  In some cases families were separated and put into different camps.

Franklin D. Roosevelt signing Executive Order 9066

 Families lived in over-crowded homes with poor living conditions, inadequate nutrition and healthcare.  Housed in barracks; no plumbing or cooking facilities.  Leadership positions in camps were only offered to the American born Japanese.  The camps were surrounded with barbed wire and armed guards.  Some died due to lack of medical care; many were killed by guards for deliberately resisting orders. CONDITIONS OF CAMPS People had their livelihood destroyed; they continued to suffer psychologically long after their release.

CONDITIONS OF CAMPS

 Later, Americans realized what injustice they had caused the Japanese Americans and began to close the camps.  The law was passed stating that the America was sorry for the injustice it had caused the people of Japanese ancestry.  The US government paid $2,500 to each Japanese American individual who was put into an internment camp. WE ARE SORRY ! American Evacuation Claims Act 1948

Why was Civil Liberties Act was passed ?  To acknowledge and apologize the fundamental injustice of the evacuation and internment of Japanese Americans citizens during second world war.  To provide for a public education fund to finance efforts to inform the public to prevent the recurrence of similar events and to make restitution to those who were interned. THE CIVIL LIBERTIES ACT “ Congress recognizes that, as described in the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of civilians, a grave injustice was done to both citizens and permanent residents of Japanese ancestry during internment.”

Thank you. VideoVideo: Japanese Internment Camps During WWII