Japanese Internment Camps during World War II By: Noah McCallum and Matthew Urrutia
On December 7th 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. US citizens feared another attack and war hysteria seized the country.
State representatives pressured President Roosevelt to take action against those of Japanese descent living in the United States.
On February 19, 1942 Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 On February 19, 1942 Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. The Order called for 120,000 people of Japanese descent living in the United States to be removed from their homes and placed in internment camps. Japanese citizens waiting to be led into an internment camp.
The United States justified their actions by claiming that there was a “danger” of people of Japanese descent. Many believed U.S. Japanese citizens were spying for Japan. However, more than two thirds of those put in internment camps were American citizens and half of those were children. Family members were separated and put in different camps. During the war only ten people were convicted of spying for Japan and they were all Caucasian.
Some internees died from poor medical care and the high level of emotional stress they dealt with. Those taken to camps in desert areas had to cope with extremely high temperatures.
The camps were guarded by the U. S. military The camps were guarded by the U.S. military. They feared that many internees would try to escape. During this time, the Japanese were not wanted in the States.
Internees over the age of 17 had to take a loyalty test Internees over the age of 17 had to take a loyalty test. They were asked if they would join the Army and be based to wherever ordered, and if they would be willing to fight for the United States after a foreign attack.
In December, 1944, Public Proclamation number 21, which became effective in January 1945, allowed the internees to return to their homes. Some internees stayed in the U.S. and started rebuilding their lives while others were unforgiving and returned back to Japan.
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