Executive Order 9066 On December 7, 1941, a day forever remembered in American history, Pearl Harbor was bombed. In addition to numerous deaths, American military supplies greatly suffered. Who was the reason for this devastating attack? Japan. To a distraught nation, pointing fingers seemed the easiest option. And thus, the Japanese Internment camps began. Seemingly a good idea at the time, the American people did not yet know these camps would cause even greater suffering and pain. Japanese Internment camps left permanent marks on those of Japanese descent, both during and after their enactment. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a great deal of fear coursed through America. Anyone could be a spy, anyone’s home could be bombed, and anyone’s
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In fact, two thirds of them were American citizens. Many of these people had never shown disloyalty to America or even been to Japan. America was their home, not Japan and yet they found themselves rejected. Although they did not know it yet, this struggle was only the beginning. Simply going to the camps proved difficult. For example, some groups only had forty-eight hours to pack everything and leave their homes behind, with no way of knowing when they would come back to them. Often families became separated in the process of moving to the camps and 17,000 Japanese American children had to evacuate (Japanese American Relocation History.com). Furthermore people got scammed into buying things at prices far too high because they left their own behind. Joseph Yoshisuke Kurihara, when talking about the Terminal Island Evacuation, stated, “It was really cruel and harsh. To pack and evacuate in forty-eight hours was an impossibility. Seeing mothers completely bewildered with children crying from want and peddlers taking advantage and offering prices next to robbery made me feel like murdering those responsible without the slightest compunction in my …show more content…
The Japanese while free from the camps, still weren’t free of the hate of the American people. In contrast, much of life became even worse than before. Their homes were vandalized, broken and empty. Most had no jobs because the workforce moved on without them. Not many trusted the Japanese-Americans and a new job, not even a job that paid well, became quite the challenge for them. Everything got turned upside down and the hope they had clung to of getting released became shattered. As a result, many left for Japan, seeking a fresh start. Others stayed behind and rebuilt their lives piece by piece. While the Japanese Internment Camps ended, they had a very difficult road ahead of them before everything would be ‘normal’ once
In fact, two thirds of them were American citizens. Many of these people had never shown disloyalty to America or even been to Japan. America was their home, not Japan and yet they found themselves rejected. Although they did not know it yet, this struggle was only the beginning. Simply going to the camps proved difficult. For example, some groups only had forty-eight hours to pack everything and leave their homes behind, with no way of knowing when they would come back to them. Often families became separated in the process of moving to the camps and 17,000 Japanese American children had to evacuate (Japanese American Relocation History.com). Furthermore people got scammed into buying things at prices far too high because they left their own behind. Joseph Yoshisuke Kurihara, when talking about the Terminal Island Evacuation, stated, “It was really cruel and harsh. To pack and evacuate in forty-eight hours was an impossibility. Seeing mothers completely bewildered with children crying from want and peddlers taking advantage and offering prices next to robbery made me feel like murdering those responsible without the slightest compunction in my …show more content…
The Japanese while free from the camps, still weren’t free of the hate of the American people. In contrast, much of life became even worse than before. Their homes were vandalized, broken and empty. Most had no jobs because the workforce moved on without them. Not many trusted the Japanese-Americans and a new job, not even a job that paid well, became quite the challenge for them. Everything got turned upside down and the hope they had clung to of getting released became shattered. As a result, many left for Japan, seeking a fresh start. Others stayed behind and rebuilt their lives piece by piece. While the Japanese Internment Camps ended, they had a very difficult road ahead of them before everything would be ‘normal’ once