Introduction
In December 1941 Japan attacked the United States Naval Base in Hawaii. This attack killed over 2,300 American, sunk the battleship U.S.S Arizona, and capsized the U.S.S Oklahoma.The attack took America by surprise and caused America to go to war with Japan the very next day. That's when racism and prejudice came into play. The Japanese Americans were being treated horribly and excluded from many things. Soon America viewed all Japanese Americans were viewed as threats and were forced to relocate into these camps. During world war 2 Japanese-American rights were violated by losing freedom, losing all possessions, and being relocated into special camps.
They were Put in Camps After the bombing of Pearl Harbor America started to be pretty prejudice towards any Japanese Americans. About two months after the bombing President Roosevelt passed Executive Order 9066. This meant that any person with a Japanese Ancestry, whether a citizen or an alien was to be relocated outside of the U.S Pacific Military Zone. This was Oregon, Washington, and California. Down the Cascade Mountains and the spine of California from north to south. At first they were told to go to an assembly center near their homes and were then moved to the permanent relocation centers outside the military zone.This affected around 117,000 people and over 70,000 children were born into these camps. After the war many people decided to go to a new place to go and live in. Except most people returned to their homes. This violates their rights because they were taken out of their home in short notice. They were all mostly law abiding good citizens that did nothing wrong but were basically imprisoned inside a camp. The camp was also in a secluded area where not too many people knew the location.
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All of their Items were taken from them When the Japanese Americans were moved to the camps they lost almost everything. Their houses were taken back from the bank and their items were taken out or stored in a friend's house or a neighbor's house if they chose to do so. All they were allowed to have were clothes and personal items. All cameras were confiscated that they could find. Inside the camps they had jobs and got small wages a month. Any other items they brought were wrapped up and guarded in a secluded area. (image to the left) Some Japanese Americans got jobs in other states allowing them to leave the camp to go live and work where they were at. If they didn't store the furniture in a different place then they were forced to sell all of it.After the war when they were all free there was an investigation on if the relocation was constitutional. They came to a conclusion that it was not. They sent out an apology to every single survivor of the camps. They also gave each survivor a $20,000 payment as an apology and starting point for them. The check also gets passed down to all of their heirs that are born.
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Inside the Camps Most of the camps were like a city. There were many jobs available and places to go and do things that are fun. Although the food they serve is pretty terrible. They serve mostly organ food like kidneys, hearts, and other things like that.There were no pets allowed at all. One man ran to the fence to retrieve his dog which somehow tracked him down and the man was shot by a guard thinking the man was trying to escape. There were jobs that they could get around the camp like a doctor or a teacher and things like that. The wages were 12-19 dollars. They type of job didn't matter, the top paying job was 19 dollars a month. Their homes were stables with a cot. They had separate gender bathrooms and no curtains or walls in the showers.There were piano lessons available but not enough pianos. Most people had to practice on table.
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Lost Their Freedoms and Rights The Japanese and Americans lost their freedoms and rights when the war ended. They lost their rights and freedoms by having to move from their homes and going into the internment camps. During World War Two 110,000 Japanese and Americans and also immigrants living in the western united states completely denying there civil rights. The living conditions were terrible. You had to be with people you didn't even know and were in a box made of plywood and tar paper, at six years old.....
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ConclusionIn conlclusion on December 7, 1941 the Japanese military attacked the United States military naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Within days, people of Japanese ancestry became the racism, and suspicion. Government officials decided that all of the people of Japanese descent presented a security threat. Imagine the United States government imprisoning you and your family. Taken from your home, you are forced to live together in a tiny room made of tar paper and plywood. Barbed wire and gun towers surrounded you, the gaurds guns pointing in. At six years old you are suspected of being a spy...
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