|
|
 |
 |
|
Japanese Internment Camps of WWII
by Luke Michel
|
|
 |
|
Overview:
Since migration of Japanese to America started in the
mid-nineteenth century, there has been resentment and
tension between Americans and Asian immigrants. In California
at the turn of the century, laws were passed making it
difficult for Japanese to own land in America, become
naturalized, or even migrate to America. By the 1920s
California had banned almost all immigration from Japan
and laws made interracial marriage illegal. After WWI
and the failed attempts of America create and join the
League of Nations, there were strong national feelings
of isolationism and nationalism that only added fuel to
this fire [for an easy-to-use interactive guide to Supreme
Court cases challenging discriminatory policies towards
Asian citizens, see:
http://www.historynow.org/03_2005/interactive.html]
The 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japan exacerbated
the tension and animosity between people of Japanese descent
and Caucasian Americans on the West coast. Many Americans
were convinced that Japan was going to invade the US by
way of California and that the Japanese there were loyal
to Japan and would aid their efforts. On February 19,
1942 Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which gave
military leaders authority to create military areas from
which groups of people could be excluded. Eventually over
110,000 people of Japanese descent, half of whom were
children and two thirds of whom were American citizens,
were removed from their homes and relocated to internment
camps until January of 1945, when the camps were closed.
Objectives:
- Students will understand the social and racial
environment of America during the beginning of the
twentieth century up to World War II.
- Students will understand the effects that the bombing
of Pearl Harbor had on America, including the effects
on our society at home.
- Students will understand the Japanese internment
camps that were instituted in America during World
War II.
- Students will analyze primary source photographs
in order to understand the daily life of inmates of
the Japanese internment camps
- Students will understand the legal justification
for instituting the Japanese internment camps and
the legal justification for discontinuing the Japanese
internment camps through analysis of primary source
materials.
|
|
|
