Who? What? When? Where? Why?

Executive Order 9066 “I [Franklin D. Roosevelt] hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War…to prescribe military areas…from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of any person to enter, remain in, or leave shall be subject to whatever restrictions the Secretary of War or the appropriate Military Commander may impose in his discretion.” - February 24, 1942 At this point, ask the students to paraphrase the passage.

Think Aloud Whose powers did President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066 greatly expand? What tragic event had happened just a few months earlier? (hint: December 7, 1941) What new powers did this person have? Why might it be dangerous to give one person or a small group of people those powers?

The Effects of Executive Order 9066 Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson created “Military Zones” (concentration camps) for the “relocation” (imprisonment) of “potential threats” (Japanese Americans). More than 120,000 Japanese Americans were removed from their homes and confined in camps in Arkansas, Arizona, New Mexico and California.

No other group in the United States was targeted as a “potential threat.” Many young Japanese American men were fighting for US Armed Forces while their families were imprisoned. Although the camps were declared unconstitutional in 1944, some were not officially closed until 1945.

Haiku Poetic form developed in Japan Contains 17 syllables arranged in three lines with five syllables in the first, seven in the second and five in the third line (5-7-5). Free verse Haiku: three lines without ordered syllables. Like a snapshot, the Haiku attempts to capture the essence of a moment. It offers a specific impression or feeling.

Manzanar Ask the students, “What are your impressions of this photograph?”

“Potential Threats” Lingering summer heat- Japanese proceeding under guard on dusty white road “Potential Threats”

In the sage brush two new earth mounds torrid wind blows

Want to be with children playing in water of irrigation ditch Are these children happy? What does that say about children? What might the children have that the adult envies?

Being arrested— at home peony bud still firm What is the importance of the peony bud?

Frosty morning handed a hatchet today I became a woodcutter

heart is full of hypocrisy flowers of gobo are purple On certain days heart is full of hypocrisy flowers of gobo are purple Gobo (Burdock) is a very spiny thistle with purple flowers. Its roots are edible and common in Japanese cooking. What do the gobo flowers have to do with a heart full of hypocrisy?

Even the croaking of frogs comes from outside the barbed wire fence this is our life.

Why write poetry? Why write Haiku? During times of tragedy and oppression, why do people often turn to poetry as a form of expression?