Japanese-American Internment Camps

During World War II, after Pearl Harbor, approximately 120,000 Japanese-Americans were relocated to internment camps across the United States. They were denied their basic rights due to the war hysteria that swept the nation. After almost 40 years, Congress apologized for the unfair treatment that was inflicted. Americans believe that the apology gave an end to the concept of internment camps in the United States. However, after the tragic event on September 11, 2001, the fear of the religion of Islam spread. Some now believe that the idea of internment camps seems possible once again. Now, the conflict is increasing since the election of the 45th President, Donald Trump, due to the travel bans that are being enforced. While some believe that
After the declaration, rumors spread that the Japanese-Americans were plotting against the nation (History.com). The fear of sabotage resulted in President Franklin D. Roosevelt to sign the “Executive Order 9066” (History.com). The executive order ruled that all Japanese-Americans are to evacuate the West Coast (History.com). The census from 1940 reported that 120,000 people were living in the United States were from a Japanese ancestry (History.com). All of the 120,000 Japanese-Americans were told they would be relocated (History.com). According to a descendant of a Japanese-American sent to an internment camp, “[her grandmother] sold nearly all of their belongings at big discounts, and each packed the two small suitcases they were allowed for relocation” (Nelson). The Japanese-Americans were confined by barbed-wire fences and the camps were patrolled by soldiers (Nelson). They were to live with the lack of comfort and basic qualities that a normal home possess (Nelson). In early 1945, Japanese-Americans were allowed to return to the West Coast (History.com). The last camp was closed in March 1946 due to the Supreme Court cases known as “Hirabayashi v. United States” and Korematsu v. United States” (History.com). To make amends with the mistake of “Executive Order 9066,” Congress gave twenty thousand dollars to each survivor of the camps in 1988 (History.com). Ashlyn Nelson stated that
The main purpose of the order was to identify all disloyal Japanese-American (Rothman). But sadly, Americans could not tell the difference between a loyal citizen or the enemy (Rothman). A prime example of this is in the Supreme Court case known as “Korematsu v. United States” (Rothman). Fred Korematsu attempted to resist the relocation, but his effort failed he was convicted of breaking the military law (Rothman). Lily Rothman as wrote that “Korematsu was officially cleared after the war…[and] later, in 2011, the Solicitor General confessed to having erred in withholding information that would suggest that there was no real threat” (Rothman). The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilian issued a report in 1983 saying, “The broad historical causes which shaped these decisions were race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership. Widespread ignorance of Japanese-Americans contributed to a policy conceived in haste and executed in an atmosphere of fear and anger at Japan”