How Did Pearl Harbor Impact Our Nation

Pearl Harbor impacted our nation in many more ways than one could imagine. The horrendous attack that leads the U.S to take extreme measure on the confinement of all Japanese descendants in the United States. The U.S was wounded, but that only gave the U.S another reason to fight back. During WWI more than 120,000 Japanese-American citizens were assembled and ultimately shipped to internment camps. They had not been transported to the camp because they had been found guilty of a crime, but because they were Japanese or Japanese descendants. The Japanese couldn't be trusted and therefore acted as a potential threat to the nation, something that the U.S could not push aside after the Pearl Harbor attack.
The attack of Pearl Harbor forced the U.S to take the necessary measure to ensure the well being of the U.S. Many Americans believed that within those
Japanese living on U.S territory there were spies that were sent from Japan to track U.S moves. That alone was enough for President Roosevelt to sign the Executive Order 9066,On February 19th,1942.The Executive Order 9066 basically excluded all Japanese descendants from their homes and were incarcerated in internment camps. A little over 127,000 Japanese or Japanese descendants living in the United States were taken away from their homes and placed into internment camps because of the Executive Order 9066. As the order was being put into effect those who knew they would be imprisoned sold some if not all their belongings for much less than the actual value. In addition while internment camps were being built the interns were temporarily placed in the stables or even racetracks until the camps were built and ready for the inmates. The internement camps were most likely to be built in the remote areas of western states, such as California, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado.No one was safe whether they had never traveled to Japan or if they were veterans of WWI they were all removed from their homes. Although Roosevelt believed there were Japanese spies on U.S territory ,most of the interned were American citizens and about half of them were children and showed no signs of disloyalty. In 1943 all the inmates over seventeen were given a loyalty test, which consisted of two questions and basically asked them if they would defend or serve in the u.s army if in contact with combat.
The Japanese internment camp involved the United States as well as Japan.
Japanese descendants were placed in these camps because Japan had rapid growing military, that grew stronger and stronger, which seemed unstoppable to many American citizens. Many believed that the attack of Pearl Harbor was so successful and impactful because Japan had sent Japanese Americans to areas in Hawaii such as, on the West coast to spy on The U.S.The threat and fear the Japanese placed in the U.S lead its way into newspapers, politicians and even journalism crying for the expulsion of Japanese descendants. As a result the executive order 9066 was created and put into effect on March 1942. A majority of the Japanese descendants placed in internment camps were from the West Coast. The U.S believed that the attack on Pearl Harbor was just a stall for a full attack on the West Coast of America. The West Coast is where a majority of the Japanese descendants lived and it was also where the U.S naval port, and commercial shipping was located at.Thus is why the Executive Order 9066 also protected America's military areas around the West
Coast.
Life in the camps was no vacation, it was the complete opposite or worse. The inmates placed in the camps experienced things that were physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging. They were only allowed to bring very few belongings. Families were split into different camps and were left. Arriving to the camps the inmates were settled into the Barracks, which were small buildings with wooden beds.The barracks were filthy, unsafe and very unsanitary. The barracks were overcrowded, which lead to rapid spread of disease.In the winter the barracks were extremely cold and many of the inmates suffered hypothermia and in the Summer barracks were unbearably hot.They used communal sections for cleansing and eat. Food was rationed out at an expense of 40 to 45 cents per intern. Children were allowed to attend school and adults were allowed to work for a daily pay. Only the U.S born Japanese and the Nisei were allowed to take leadership spots. Malnutrition, dehydration, and lack of medical attention were the main causes to the death of many Japanese. The camps were secured by barbed wire and tower guards every so many feet to prevent the inmates from escaping.Interns were watched at all times, those that attempted to escape were shot and killed by the watching guards.There was one and only one way to escape the Concentration camps and that was to enlist in the U.S army, but very many did due to their injustice incarceration.
Eight months before the Japanese surrender, on January 2, 1945 The Executive Order is repealed. All the inmates were freed only to see themselves in the ruins with no where to go. Everything they had previously owned before being sent to the camps was either sold or in the ruins. As an apology for their rights being taken away all the survivors were granted 1.6 billion dollars by the U.S government.Although they had been given money to rebuild their lives it didn't fix the extreme measure they faced. They face the loss of their rights, racism, and their freedom. Racism was huge after the release of the inmates, they were treated poorly and were known as traitors to their country. first generation Japanese American never recuperates their loss and lived in poor very with poor health
The Pearl Harbor attack puts fear in thousands of American hearts. The attack gave the U.S citizens fear of future attacks. Thousands of Japanese descendants had migrated into the U.S which put the American citizens uneasy. Although there was no crime they committed the U.S citizens had to be protected, which lead to Japanese internment camps. The inmates faced loss of property, humiliation and even in extreme cases of injuries or death.