Aim: How did the forced internment impact the lives of Japanese-Americans, and were their constitutional rights being violated?

San Francisco News March 6, 1942

Impact of Internment Under FDR’s order, over 100,000 Japanese – Americans were FORCED to leave their homes and businesses (we’ll look at the ad section from Seattle newspaper for belongings being sold by evacuees)

From the weekend’s homework: In what ways did some Americans take advantage of Japanese-Americans who were interned?

Most were never fully compensated Most were never fully compensated. Some (or heirs) were given some of the money in the 1960’s and 1980’s. None were formally charged with espionage or sabotage! No formal gov’t apology until Ronald Reagan!

Impact of Internment FIRST, read the document titled: “How to tell your friends from the Japs” 1) List the stereotypes that appear in this document. 2) How were other Americans of Asian ancestry impacted by the internment of Japanese Americans? SECOND, read the document titled: “Instructions to all Persons of Japanese Ancestry” 3) How much time were people given to prepare for the forced relocation? What were evacuees expected to bring? What were they NOT allowed to bring?

VIDEO – 3:44-8:00 What was the process of relocation like? Were Japanese-Americans able to hold on to their cultural values/traditions?

Personal Experiences VIDEO VIDEO Watch the clip of George Takei talking about his experiences in the Japanese Internment Camps. Record notes about the things he saw and felt during his time in the camps. Watch the clip of Pat Morita talking about his experiences in the the Japanese Internment Camps. VIDEO VIDEO

Were all “enemies” treated equally by Executive Order 9066? By February 16, 1942, the Department of Justice held 2,192 Japanese, 1,393 Germans, and 264 Italians, and arrests continued even after that date.

Was this Constitutional? These amendments will be significant… Amendment 5 No person shall … be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. Amendment 14 Guarantees due process and equal protection of all citizens; mandates that if you are born in the USA you are a citizen of this country.

Korematsu v. United States One of several cases where Japanese Americans sued because of internment Fred Korematsu claimed that constitutional rights were violated! Remember, it was a forced relocation and no one was actually charged with espionage or sabotage Can be compared to Schenck v United States (1919) because both deal with rights during times of war Read the worksheet and answer the questions 1-5 on the back…what was the outcome of the Supreme Court case??

How did the attack on Pearl Harbor lead to discrimination against Japanese-Americans? Korematsu v. United States 323 U.S. 214 (1944) Facts of the Case : During World War II, Presidential Executive Order 9066 and congressional statutes gave the military authority to exclude citizens of Japanese ancestry from areas deemed critical to national defense and potentially vulnerable to espionage. Korematsu remained in San Leandro, California and violated Civilian Exclusion Order No. 34 of the U.S. Army. Question Presented: Did the President and Congress go beyond their war powers by implementing exclusion and restricting the rights of Americans of Japanese descent? Conclusion: The Court sided with the government and held that the need to protect against espionage outweighed Korematsu's rights. Justice Black argued that compulsory exclusion, though constitutionally suspect, is justified during circumstances of "emergency and peril."

Do you agree or disagree with the outcome of this case? Do you think that the rights of American Citizens should ever be suspended, regardless of whether there is a war brewing or the nation is at peace?