One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all
In the prime of its existence, The Pledge of Allegiance was violated, disputed, and totally ignored. A nation exalted for joining as one to fight off the forces of the enemy, had instead divided, and turned to eradicate loyal and innocent Japanese Americans of their natural rights of life and freedom.
In the midst of the chaos spawned by the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, Japanese Americans were living like sought-after fugitives. However, life before December 7th was not much different. Following the mass emigration of the Japanese to America, many Japanese - citizens and noncitizens of America experienced extreme hostility and racism from hakujin or the Caucasian race (pg 22). Therefore, the Japanese that were placed in internment camps never experienced equality and true freedom before World War II ended. Physically, the Japanese were “free” to go where they would like with set restrictions; however, emotionally …show more content…
For example, an enraged newspaper columnist stated, “It was time for immediate removal of every Japanese” (pg 54), and the mayor of Los Angeles chimed in agreement that the Japanese needed to be “put where they could do no harm” (pg 55). At this time, there was no immediate regard for the actual lives of these Japanese Americans. The main goal for the American people and the government was to simply “control the situation” and eliminate all possible areas of espionage. But as American history has taught us, “controlling the situation” is simply a euphemism for excessive force. Prime examples of where excessive force was applied to control a possible threat or conflict include the Boston Massacre and the Civil Rights Movement. As we have seen repeatedly throughout history, America’s illusion of control sadly ends in tragedy and grief affecting the
In the prime of its existence, The Pledge of Allegiance was violated, disputed, and totally ignored. A nation exalted for joining as one to fight off the forces of the enemy, had instead divided, and turned to eradicate loyal and innocent Japanese Americans of their natural rights of life and freedom.
In the midst of the chaos spawned by the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, Japanese Americans were living like sought-after fugitives. However, life before December 7th was not much different. Following the mass emigration of the Japanese to America, many Japanese - citizens and noncitizens of America experienced extreme hostility and racism from hakujin or the Caucasian race (pg 22). Therefore, the Japanese that were placed in internment camps never experienced equality and true freedom before World War II ended. Physically, the Japanese were “free” to go where they would like with set restrictions; however, emotionally …show more content…
For example, an enraged newspaper columnist stated, “It was time for immediate removal of every Japanese” (pg 54), and the mayor of Los Angeles chimed in agreement that the Japanese needed to be “put where they could do no harm” (pg 55). At this time, there was no immediate regard for the actual lives of these Japanese Americans. The main goal for the American people and the government was to simply “control the situation” and eliminate all possible areas of espionage. But as American history has taught us, “controlling the situation” is simply a euphemism for excessive force. Prime examples of where excessive force was applied to control a possible threat or conflict include the Boston Massacre and the Civil Rights Movement. As we have seen repeatedly throughout history, America’s illusion of control sadly ends in tragedy and grief affecting the