Transcript Japanese American Internment Camps

Japanese American
Internment Camps
10 Camps in operation from
1942-1946
Vocabulary
• Issei- Japanese who immigrated to the U.S. or Canada after
1907 and was not eligible until 1952 for citizenship.
• Nisei-a person of Japanese descent, born and educated in
the U.S. or Canada.
• Sansei-a grandchild of Japanese immigrants to the U.S. or
Canada.
• Nihonmachi-Japantown, where Japanese people live
• “Yellow Peril”-Racial Slur toward Japanese and Chinese
and due to the treat of growth in the communities.
Why did America intern the Japanese?
• After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941,
Americans became extremely suspicious of people with
Japanese ancestry and thought that they would exploit
the American government
• Americans were paranoid and suffered from wartime
anxiety
Why did America intern the Japanese?
• Most Japanese at the time lived in California in towns
called “Little Tokyo”- the constituted only 2% of the
population -mainly fisherman, small shopkeepers, and
held agricultural positions (they lived at poverty level)
• FEB. 19, 1942: Executive Order 9066- allowed “enemy
aliens” to be placed in “relocation camps”- though this
term applied to Japanese, Italians and Germans, only
Japanese were interned (FDR called this camps
“concentration camps” on several times)
Why did America intern the Japanese?
• MARCH 18, 1942: FDR signs Executive Order 9102established the War Relocation Authority (WRA) under
Milton Eisenhower who later resigned (Dillon Myer took
his place)
• The WRA was given $5.5 million dollars in funding for
the camps
Why did America intern the Japanese?
• Before arriving at the camp, were given evacuation
orders were posted in JAPANESE-AMERICAN
communities giving instructions on how to comply with
the executive order.
• Many families sold their homes, their stores, and most of
their assets.
• They could not be certain their homes and livelihoods
would still be there upon their return.
(the mad rush to sell, properties and inventories were
often sold at a fraction of their true value.)
Why did America intern the Japanese?
• Until the camps were completed, many of the evacuees
were held in temporary centers, such as stables at local
racetracks.
• Between AUGUST- SEPTEMBER 1942 the first inmates
arrive at several different camps
The Camps
Life in the Camp
• Evacuees elected representatives to meet with government
officials to air grievances, often to little avail.
• Recreational activities were organized to pass the time.
• Some of the interns actually volunteered to fight in one of
two all-Nisei army regiments and went on to distinguish
themselves in battle.
Life in the Camp
• The camps were often too cold in the winter and too hot in
the summer. The food was mass produced army-style grub.
And the interns knew that if they tried to flee, armed
sentries who stood watch around the clock, would shoot
them.
Camp Quotes
• “Most of the 110,000 persons removed for reasons of
‘national security’ were school age children, infants and
young adults not yet of voting age”
• “In the detention centers, families lived in substandard
housing, had inadequate nutrition and health care, and
had their livelihoods destroyed; many continued to suffer
psychologically long after their release”
• “At Gila [AZ] there were 7,700 people crowded into space
designed for 5,000. They were housed in mess halls,
recreation halls, and even latrines. As many as 25 person
lived in a space intended for 4.”
Camp Quotes
• “ In desert camps, the evacuees met severe extremes of
temperature. In winter in reached 35 degrees below zero,
and summer brought temperatures as high as 115 degrees.
Rattlesnakes and desert wildlife added danger to
discomfort.”
• When we first arrived at Minidonka, everyone was forced
to use outhouses since the sewer system had not been built.
For about 1 year, the residents had to brace the cold and
stench of these accomodations”
Conditions at the Camps
More Images at the Camps
Japanese Men in WWII
• Later on into the war,
Americans realized that
Japanese-Americans
could be used as secret
weapons
• Japanese speaking
individuals translated
captured Japanese
documents and monitored
radio traffic
• Attended Military
Intelligence Specialist
School and eagerly
enlisted in the military
• By Dec. 1944, 1500
Japanese men had
enlisted in the 442nd
regimental Combat Team
The End of the Camps
• JUNE 30, 1944: Jerome, AR is the first
camp to close
• the rest close over a period of 2 years
(Tule Lake, CA being the last in 1946)
• AUG 6, 1945: atomic bombs are
dropped and war ends
• JULY 2, 1948: Pres. Truman signs
Japanese American Evacuation Claims
Act to compensate for economic losseslargely ineffective
• AUG 10, 1988- Civil Liberties Act of
1988 signed by Reagan
Long Term Health Consequences
• Loss of Japanese culture
and language
• most Sansei still felt that
the internment of their
parents directly affected
their lives and led to several
negative feelings toward
Americans
• Psychological anguish
• inmates had a 2.1 greater
risk of cardiovascular
disease
• alteration of attitudes
• low self- esteem
• sad and angry over the
injustices
• pressure to assimilate