America entered World War II, their primary goal - to defeat Japan; however, as America fought against the Japanese it became clear that Japanese Americans were affected. President Roosevelt approved several orders and committees that specifically targeted Japanese Americans on the West Coast, while war propaganda was created to instill fear and hatred of the Japanese in the American people. World War II not only exacerbated the racial tension within the American people, but also excused the racist actions taken by the American government against the Japanese Americans, as the Americans then prided themselves for fighting in the “good war”.
During the 1930s America began to doubt their involvement in the first World War, instead they believed …show more content…
The relocation centers were made up of thirty to forty residential blocks held around 18,000 people each. The camps were surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers with armed sentries, who would shoot the interns if they tried to leave. The camps attempted to appear as close to a normal American town as possible, they included schools, post offices, hospitals, a communal mess hall, recreation building, latrines, and laundry. The internees also worked on the surrounding farms to provide most of the food used by the camp; the adults that worked in the camp were paid five dollars a day. Each barack contained several one room apartments, which would house a family or a group of individuals the rooms were separated by a single piece of wood that did not reach the ceiling leading many to complain about privacy. One internee at Manzanar, California said “They used cheap pine wood. The knots would fall off so we could see in the neighbor 's room, and we could hear the shocking sound of voices, complaining, arguing bitterly. ...and I couldn 't shut it out.” The location of the camps also resulted in harsh environments that the buildings were not designed for. The scorching desert summers resulted in dust and sand in nearly every building; the winters were just as harsh, as the temperature dropped below freezing the internees packed dirt against the doors to keep the cold air
During the 1930s America began to doubt their involvement in the first World War, instead they believed …show more content…
The relocation centers were made up of thirty to forty residential blocks held around 18,000 people each. The camps were surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers with armed sentries, who would shoot the interns if they tried to leave. The camps attempted to appear as close to a normal American town as possible, they included schools, post offices, hospitals, a communal mess hall, recreation building, latrines, and laundry. The internees also worked on the surrounding farms to provide most of the food used by the camp; the adults that worked in the camp were paid five dollars a day. Each barack contained several one room apartments, which would house a family or a group of individuals the rooms were separated by a single piece of wood that did not reach the ceiling leading many to complain about privacy. One internee at Manzanar, California said “They used cheap pine wood. The knots would fall off so we could see in the neighbor 's room, and we could hear the shocking sound of voices, complaining, arguing bitterly. ...and I couldn 't shut it out.” The location of the camps also resulted in harsh environments that the buildings were not designed for. The scorching desert summers resulted in dust and sand in nearly every building; the winters were just as harsh, as the temperature dropped below freezing the internees packed dirt against the doors to keep the cold air