February 19, 1942. Two months and twelve days after the attacks on Pearl Harbor. On that day, President Franklin D. Roosevelt made a decision on what he deemed was the safest option for the United States. Little did he know, this decision would outrage Japanese-Americans. The attacks on Pearl Harbor took place on December 7th, 1941, when the Japanese military attacked a United States naval base in Hawaii. As a result of the attacks, over 2,400 Americans were killed, and twenty of America’s naval ships were damaged. Immediately following the attacks, the United States formally declared war on Japan, marking the United States’ involvement in World War II. American citizens became scared of Japanese people, as they thought that Japanese-Americans
…show more content…
In 1944, Fred Korematsu sued the United States of America after he refused to go to internment camps and was arrested. Korematsu’s case made it to the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice Hugo Black wrote the majority opinion, stating that in times of war with a high security risk, action must be taken to ensure the security of the United States. Chief Justice Black stated, “But when, under conditions of modern warfare, [the] shores [of the United States] are threatened by hostile forces, the power to protect must be commensurate with the threatened danger…” (Document C). Chief Justice Black emphasized that the United States must take action when the threat of another attack is high. Because strong action is needed when the threat of an attack is high, the United States needed to do every measure in order to keep the nation safe, making the internment of Japanese-Americans …show more content…
Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, he did not mention Japanese-Americans. Instead, he used broad terms to describe who would be placed in internment camps, limiting racism in the Executive Order. He also emphasized why there was a need for internment camps, instead of stating that they were just for Japanese people. Furthermore, Roosevelt stated, “Whereas the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage[...]” (Document B). In no point in the Executive Order did Roosevelt acknowledge Japanese people. He only established that the internment would be for the safety of the United States in order to protect the country against espionage. As a result of this, racial prejudice is limited as the Executive Order did not specify the race of the citizens that would be placed in internment camps. As a whole, immediately following the Pearl Harbor attacks, the internment of Japanese-Americans was done with good reason because Executive Order 9066 never stated the race of the people who would be placed in internment
In 1944, Fred Korematsu sued the United States of America after he refused to go to internment camps and was arrested. Korematsu’s case made it to the Supreme Court, where Chief Justice Hugo Black wrote the majority opinion, stating that in times of war with a high security risk, action must be taken to ensure the security of the United States. Chief Justice Black stated, “But when, under conditions of modern warfare, [the] shores [of the United States] are threatened by hostile forces, the power to protect must be commensurate with the threatened danger…” (Document C). Chief Justice Black emphasized that the United States must take action when the threat of another attack is high. Because strong action is needed when the threat of an attack is high, the United States needed to do every measure in order to keep the nation safe, making the internment of Japanese-Americans …show more content…
Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. When President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, he did not mention Japanese-Americans. Instead, he used broad terms to describe who would be placed in internment camps, limiting racism in the Executive Order. He also emphasized why there was a need for internment camps, instead of stating that they were just for Japanese people. Furthermore, Roosevelt stated, “Whereas the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage[...]” (Document B). In no point in the Executive Order did Roosevelt acknowledge Japanese people. He only established that the internment would be for the safety of the United States in order to protect the country against espionage. As a result of this, racial prejudice is limited as the Executive Order did not specify the race of the citizens that would be placed in internment camps. As a whole, immediately following the Pearl Harbor attacks, the internment of Japanese-Americans was done with good reason because Executive Order 9066 never stated the race of the people who would be placed in internment