Japanese Internment

Question In response to the War on Terror, should we round up all Americans of Arab descent or Muslim faith and relocate them? What is the proper balance between liberty and security?

Paranoia Leading to Internment Bombing of Pearl Harbor 1941- 125,000 people of Japanese descent live on west coast Fear of sabotage, spying or 5th column activities Issei Born in Japan Nisei Full citizens born in US

Executive Order 9066 February 19, 1942 Broad powers to military Forcibly removed to “relocation centers” 110,000+ Japanese Americans 3,200 Italian Americans 11,000 German Americans

Camp Life Dismal surroundings-looked to improve Employment- self-sufficient Food mix of traditional Japanese and American food Subject to same rations as everyone else Medical Care Hospitals staffed largely by Japanese Americans Education Provided by white and Japanese teachers (buddaheads) Baseball

Baseball Baseball in Japanese Internment Camps

Camp Locations

442nd Regimental Combat Team Made up of men already in service Replacements from camps- volunteers Served in Europe Most had never been to Japan nor speak Japanese Most decorated unit of its size Other duties Intelligence, interpreters, translators

Korematsu v. The United States Fred Korematsu refused to leave his home 1944 went before Supreme Court 6-3 decision against Korematsu Court ruled that need to protect against espionage outweighed the rights of Japanese Americans

Justice Hugo Black “All legal restrictions which curtail the civil rights of a single racial group are immediately suspect and subject to tests of the most rigid scrutiny, not all such restrictions are inherently unconstitutional. Pressing public necessity may sometimes justify the existence of such restrictions; racial antagonism never can."

President Reagan Apologizes Most released Jan. 1945 Property taken, financial ruin 1948- $37 million appropriated as reparations 1988- additional $20,000 in reparations President Reagan officially apologizes

Japanese Canadian Internment Camps British Columbia 23,000 moved by train to Men, women and children separated Military officials said fears unwarranted Property sold After war forced to leave country, move east of Rocky Mountains 1949 could regained freedom of movement 1988- $21,000 given directly to those affected

Political Cartoon/ Blog Now that you have some background on the Internment of Japanese of Americans, you need to do a few things. Create a political cartoon Blog a letter from a camp