Japanese Internment

Japanese Internment

Timothy Tedeschi

HIS-114

Casey Cobb

April 26, 2015

          December 7th, 1941 was a day that President Roosevelt calls “A day that will go down in infamy”. This is the day that Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, as well a day that set in motion the worst violation of our constitutional rights; the imprisonment of some 112,000 people of Japanese heritage, where it is believed that seventy-five percent were American citizens.

           Times leading up to World War II it is suggested that there were more than 100,000 persons of Japanese descent living in Oregon, Washington, Arizona and California. They traveled to America in search for a better way of life; many became farmers, worked on the railroad or became fishermen. Even though Japanese Americans help paved the way for economic expansion and many benefited from their great work ethic, they were still frowned upon and disliked.

             After the attack on Pearl Harbor America became filled with panic and fear, this was especially true with businesses and residents on the West Coast. With the mass hysteria and fear from the attack on Pearl Harbor and with heavy pressure from state leaders on the West Coast as well as neighboring states, President Roosevelt signed and issued Executive Order 9066. This order gave the secretary of War the authority to deem certain areas as military zones and exclude any or all person they deemed. “By virtue of the authority vested in me as president of the United States, and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War and the Military Commanders whom he may from time to time designate, whenever he or any designated Commander deems such action necessary or describable, to prescribe military areas in such places and such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of ant person to enter, remain in, or leave shall be subject to whatever restrictions the Secretary or War or the appropriate Military Commander may impose in his discretion.” (Roosevelt, Febuary 19, 1942)

            Another order was issued after a Japanese Submarine shelled an oil refinery of the coast of California, as well as the coast of Oregon. This order was Executive Order 9102 which established the War Relocation Authority (WRA). “March 18, 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt issues Executive Order 9012, which establishes the War Relocation Authority (WRA) within the Department for Emergency Management. The WRA is empowered to provide for the removal from designated areas of persons whose removal in the interests of national security.” (Library.org)

             Due to these orders over 100,000 people of Japanese decent were forced from their homes, of which it was estimated that seventy five percent were American citizens and nearly half where children, none of which showed any signs of disloyalty to the United States. They were relocated to what we now as internment camps. Many where even separated from their families, and were forced to use communal services and live in barracks.

           Life in these internment camps was hard.  They were only given about 36 to 48 hours to leave their homes and were only allowed to bring a few possessions along with them.  Most were taken advantage of since they could not take all their possessions, people offered them very little for their property when they tried to sell it. Most of these camps were located in the dessert where the temperatures were unbearably hot, many died because of the lack in medical care, and some even questioned their loyalty to the United States because of these reasons.

           Many of the internees where given the option to join the U.S. Military, but only about six percent said that they would volunteer, however more said that they would if their rights were given back to them. Some volunteered did so to prove their loyalty, well others did so to escape the camps. These volunteers made up what was known as the 442nd Regimental Combat Team, not only were they the most decorated Regiment, they also known for saving the 141st battalion in Germany.

           The Japanese internment came to an end in 1945. Most began to leave the camps but others didn’t want to leave, because they had nowhere to go. Add to the fact that they were only given a short period of time to evacuate many had no money or belongings. Some of the ones who did have belongs had them stolen from the storage centers during their internment.