Analysis Of Prisoners Without Trial: Japanese Americans In World War II By Roger Daniels

Prisoners Without Trial: Japanese Americans in World War II is written by Roger Daniels. Roger Daniels was an expert about the Japanese internment camps, because he was placed in one at a young age with his family. Roger Daniels is a former history professor at the University of Cincinnati. He was and still is a much admired professor, because of the way he impacted his students’ lives. Prisoners Without Trial: Japanese Americans in World War II, “ will describe and attempt to explain how and why nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were taken from their homes in the spring and early summer of 1942 and incarcerated in concentration camps by the United States government” . The Executive Order 9066 made by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, interned

I strongly believe the Japanese Americans took the biggest blows by the United States, because they were easier to identify than Italians or Germans. However, the bombing of Pearl Harbor did not help the Japanese Americans, because it brought more attention to them. Throughout the first chapter, it discusses the population of Japanese Americans in the United States. The majority of the Japanese community was located in the Pacific states, “where nearly 113,000 (88.5%) lived” . Also, it was recorded that 51.4% of Japanese males had jobs and about 33.3% of Japanese females had jobs. In my opinion, this goes to show that many of the Japanese Americans who moved to the United States wanted to start over and have a better life. However, the United States government was still questioning the Japanese loyalty, so Lieutenant Commander Kenneth D. Ringle was placed in California at naval headquarters to keep an eye on the Japanese Americans. Ringle was shocked when he heard about the incarnation of the

Sandler featured other facts about H.R. 442. The date chosen for the passage of the Civil Liberties Act was 200 years after the signing of the U.S. Constitution. Also significant, the number given to the piece of legislation was 442 which was in remembrance of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. The Civil Liberties Act included words that every Japanese American desired to hear. Contained in the bill was “For [those] fundamental violations of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of … individuals of Japanese ancestry, the Congress apologizes on behalf of the Nation”. Included in the act was a guarantee of redress amounting to $20,000 to surviving internees. Many surviving internees did not appreciate the money and claimed that “ nothing can pay for the humiliation we endured.” After signing the bill into law, it would be two full years before any survivors would be given their $20,000 compensation. Another wonderful source, Martin W. Sandler filled his book with interesting facts regarding the Civil Liberties Act that were not found in other sources. Also, it was a good introductory source to get a general overview of the Civil Liberties Act and the struggles surrounding its development and