Japanese-American Internment Camps During World War II

“Sometimes good comes through adversity. I would not be who I am today had it not

been for the internment, and I like who I am. (Asawa)” Adversity is defined as difficulties or

misfortune. In the years from 1942 to 1944 over 120,000 American born citizens, of Japanese

descent faced an overwhelming amount of adversity when they were placed in a few different

internment camp along the west coast of the United States of America. This reassuring quote

comes from a girl named Ruth Asawa who was a victim of the Executive Order 9066. What

caused these camps to be created? In 1941, December 7th, hundreds of Japanese fighter planes

attacked the American naval base near Honolulu Hawaii. Thousands of American fighters were

killed, and
thousands were injured. Multiple American ships were destroyed, and millions of

Americans were furious. The very next day President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war

on Japan, and Congress granted (History.com Staff). Similar to the tragic era of the Holocaust,

the Internment camps were a dreadful period as well.
Japanese- American internment camps,

forced innocent people to drop everything and move, the living conditions were extremely rough

on them, and it resembled the Holocaust in a plethora of manners.

Many of the Japanese owned properties such as houses, business stores, and personal

belongings. During this time, the United States was fighting in World War II along with Britain,

France, Australia, Canada, Soviet Union, New Zealand, and China. These powerful nations were

battling against Germany, Italy, and Japan. Many of the Japanese- American crowd were born in

the United States, living along the West Coast. The government feared that if there was a

Japanese invasion on the mainland of the US, that these Asians would be a security

breach(Information Please®). So the government did what they thought was best, they created

Internment Camps for the citizens to live in. Because the sudden change of location was so

speedy, often, the Japanese had to sell their belongings for less than what they actually were

worth. Soon after buses came to collect the people, they delivered them to temporary living

quarters, such as, horse stables at a racing track. Many of the camps were yet to be completed,
so

volunteers were quickly rounded up to help assemble the camps they were being forced to live in

(McGleish). Not only were the Japanese citizens being treated unfairly, they also had to endure

appalling living conditions.

Throughout the peoples stay in the camps, they had to sustain dreadful weather

surroundings.
a great deal of the community was not accustomed to the cold weather. They slept

with as many blankets and covers as they were allowed to obtain. The houses were over- crowded, poorly constructed, and had an absence of plumbing and cooking facilities. The

inmates had to pay for their meals, and were served very little rations. All of the community was

expected not only to farm their own food, but to also attend school, and maintain a personal

occupation of their own too. Eventually, the war requested for more soldiers from the camps.

Many did not apply, only 1,200 joined(Information Please®). Do these conditions sound similar

to you? Maybe you are comparing these Japanese Internment Camps to the Jewish camps, often

referred to as the Holocaust.

The Holocaust is one of the most horrifying pieces of history remembered by many

today. This event was developed during World War 1. The Nazi’s believed that the Jewish

religion was a threat to society. The beloved leader of the Germans, Adolf Hitler, came to a

conclusion. He would do everything in his power to eliminate the Jewish population.
German

troops began to compile all of the Jews, and place them into numerous camps. Throughout the

peoples stay in these camps, they were starved, beaten, worked to the bone, and tortured. Billions

of innocent lives were lost, and not many were able to be liberated (History.com Staff). The

Holocaust is similar to the Japanese Internment Camps for numerous reasons. In both cases, two

separate groups of blameless people were placed into an enclosed area against their wills. The

two were mistreated, and forced to do things opposed to their desire. Both of these events were

shocking in their own ways, and will forever remain in history.

Two and a half years after the Internment Camps opened, they were closed. The

remaining occupants were sent back to what was left of their homes. Many of their remaining

property were bought, destructed, or luckily, still remained. Countless of the Japanese returned

with very little, or nothing(Ushistory.org) . Around 40 years after the Internment Camps closed,

the remaining inmates received $20,000 in reward (timeline). All the while, of the camps, two

important legal cases were brought against the government concerning the internment. Both of

these cases were brought to the Supreme Court, and both of these cases were won by the

government ("3 Japanese-American Internment Supreme Court Cases"). People lost not only

their freedom for a period of time, but they also lost their hope for equal rights within the United

States.