Are you one sixteenth of some nationality? Do you have a relative who went to war against another country? If that country from which you have some descendant attacked the Unites States, and you were moved to a concentration camp for four years, how would you feel? Imagine being a Japanese American citizen in WWII. Veterans, children, and many who had never seen Japan, even those as little as a sixteenth Japanese, were believed to be traitors. On the West coast, people thought that the Japanese Americans would attack the United States. This led to the removal and internment of all Japanese Americans living on the coast. Japanese Internment set a precedent for how american citizens could be treated in a time of war.
“In… 1942, the United States…
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The order gave authority to the government to ban any person from living in some area and provide another place for them to live, essentially forcing them to relocate to the government area. The government subjected the Japanese Americans living on the West Coast to this and moved them to internment camps under the assumption that, in war, everyone at least 1/16 Japanese, including WWI veterans, citizens, children, and many people who had never been to Japan, would be loyal to Japan. Despite no evidence for such beliefs, these actions were justified as a wartime necessity. Executive Order 9066 set a precedent on how a government can treat citizens in the United States during war. It set a precedent on how racism can affect government decisions. It also set a precedent on what the government can do to its citizens. It set a precedent on how to react to threats from groups that are not well identified or are intermingled with citizens. These all apply to now, when our country struggles to deal with the threat of terrorism. Because people are from the middle east, or because they are muslim, they are profiled for the actions of radical Jihadists. If dealing with terrorism and ISIS can be called a “war on terrorism”, wartime necessities can be excused. We must watch out for others and their rights, and make sure internment of masses of innocent citizens never is repeated. This government violation of rights is a