Japanese Internment Camps During World War II

Franklin Roosevelt was arguably one of the most influential people in America during World War II. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor over two years after the war started, Roosevelt had a difficult and important decision to make. Fears and anxieties broke out among the U.S. people that the Japanese living in the United States would sabotage America and turn against them in the war. A couple of months after the U.S. started fighting in the war, Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which required all people of Japanese descent to abandon their homes and move into relocation centers, most commonly known as internment camps, for the remainder of the war. However, the decision to strip Japanese Americans from their basic civil rights and
Right after the attacks, some 2,000 men were arrested because they were seen as immediate threats. Despite the fact that no proof was ever given for Japanese espionage, many Americans still insisted it was a “military necessity” (Sunquist). Many people recognized the wrong in isolating the Japanese, but still rested on their prejudiced opinions. Knowing that citizens saw the unconstitutionality of the situation goes on to prove the motivation for internment camps: fear, war hysteria, and prejudice. The Japanese Americans were given one week to pack up their old life before they were transported to the assembly centers. Extra clothes, bedding, and whatever else they could carry were among the little that the Japanese could bring with them. Not only were the Japanese ripped away from their lives and forced to live new ones, but they had a limited amount of time to do so and could only bring whatever was suitable for their captors. Removing Japanese Americans from their homes was unnecessary in itself, but not only that, they couldn’t feel at home where they were going. They lived in assembly centers for six months while the U.S. hastily built ten internment camps that were located at fairground parking lots or horse stalls that had housed horses up to a week before the arrival of the Japanese Americans (Candela). Forcing people to leave their homes is an injustice in itself, but forcing people to leave their homes and move into ramshackles is even worse. However, when the detainees arrived at the assembly centers, everything was confiscated from them including “cameras, baseball bats, and even popguns”