The Justification of Japanese Internment Camps During World War Two, the entire world was in a state of confusion and vulnerability. However, the United States took drastic measures in order to confirm that no spies were present on the West Coast by issuing Executive Order 9066, an order that would change the lives of over 117,000 Japanese-Americans. Since 1942, when Congress passed this law, the justification of it was heavily debated. It was and still is considered inhumane, unnecessary, and overall avoidable. What few people know, however, is that Executive Order 9066 was based on lies and racist viewpoints. The Japanese Internment camps cannot be justified, due to the lack of credible evidence, and the loss of freedom for over 70,000 American
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America’s actions similarly influenced Canada, Mexico, and other Central and South American countries. After Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, Canada relocated 21,000 residents, and Mexico and the South American countries of Peru, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina imprisoned 2,300 people of Japanese heritage. This policy affected all persons of Japanese descent living on the west coast, in that they were relocated in 10 different camps, that were separated outside the Pacific military zone (Japanese Internment Camps 3). Many were forced to sell their homes and businesses since they no longer legally owned any property. House and business value dropped, and the Japanese-Americans were only able to sell their possessions for about a quarter of the original price. Taking all that they could carry, the Japanese-Americans were given little time to pack and prepare for the unknown.In the beginning, county fairgrounds, horse stables, and other large, deserted properties were converted into temporary assembling centers. Roughly four to five families were kept in small, barrack-like residential areas. The houses were harshly crafted and often came apart due to the low quality of the materials and design. Internees struggled to maintain steady communities and modern lifestyles. But this was only a preview of what was going to …show more content…
However, no individual had evidence that supported the idea of them being a spy. It is argued that if there had been suspected spies, the government should have put them on trial, instead of confining an entire race simply because they lived on the West Coast. Eddie Sakamoto, a man who was imprisoned in the internment camps at the age of 37, recalled in an interview that his father was suddenly taken away by the government. His father had done no harm to the government, but was simply told to pack clothes and a toothbrush and to follow them. Their family was separated for over three years (Tateishi 17). A majority of the individual arrests were powerful Japanese males who often were in charge of businesses and possessed other influential careers. However, Bill Hosokawa writes in his novel that there was a policy which allowed for specific mixed-marriage families and individuals to be exempt from the internment camps. Their mixed background was allegedly enough proof that they were loyal to the United States (Hosowaka 184). Using this information, it can be concluded that the United States Government simply imprisoned many of the internees because of their race, and not their involvement in the
America’s actions similarly influenced Canada, Mexico, and other Central and South American countries. After Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, Canada relocated 21,000 residents, and Mexico and the South American countries of Peru, Brazil, Chile, and Argentina imprisoned 2,300 people of Japanese heritage. This policy affected all persons of Japanese descent living on the west coast, in that they were relocated in 10 different camps, that were separated outside the Pacific military zone (Japanese Internment Camps 3). Many were forced to sell their homes and businesses since they no longer legally owned any property. House and business value dropped, and the Japanese-Americans were only able to sell their possessions for about a quarter of the original price. Taking all that they could carry, the Japanese-Americans were given little time to pack and prepare for the unknown.In the beginning, county fairgrounds, horse stables, and other large, deserted properties were converted into temporary assembling centers. Roughly four to five families were kept in small, barrack-like residential areas. The houses were harshly crafted and often came apart due to the low quality of the materials and design. Internees struggled to maintain steady communities and modern lifestyles. But this was only a preview of what was going to …show more content…
However, no individual had evidence that supported the idea of them being a spy. It is argued that if there had been suspected spies, the government should have put them on trial, instead of confining an entire race simply because they lived on the West Coast. Eddie Sakamoto, a man who was imprisoned in the internment camps at the age of 37, recalled in an interview that his father was suddenly taken away by the government. His father had done no harm to the government, but was simply told to pack clothes and a toothbrush and to follow them. Their family was separated for over three years (Tateishi 17). A majority of the individual arrests were powerful Japanese males who often were in charge of businesses and possessed other influential careers. However, Bill Hosokawa writes in his novel that there was a policy which allowed for specific mixed-marriage families and individuals to be exempt from the internment camps. Their mixed background was allegedly enough proof that they were loyal to the United States (Hosowaka 184). Using this information, it can be concluded that the United States Government simply imprisoned many of the internees because of their race, and not their involvement in the