Japanese Internment

The ideas that are often associated with World War II are usually related to the deadly warfare that occurred, Nazi Germany, and the utilization of the atomic bomb. However, one of the most overlooked and appalling events that took place throughout World War II was the internment of Japanese Americans. The first prominent event that lead to the start of internment was the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7th, 1941. Consequently, the bombing spurred fear among millions of Americans which would eventually lead the United States into World War II. In response to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S Government and President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued new laws which would begin the relocation of Japanese Americans. 120,000 Japanese

The camps were fully surrounded with barbed wire and remote in barren deserts or swampy areas (Tong). These particular locations were extremely undesirable due to their seclusion and poor environmental condition. Another factor that contributed to the health issues was the food that was provided at camps. The food given to internees were “unsanitary and often gave children cramps or diarrhea” (Tong). Thus, this lack of nutrition and health deterioration from the food greatly contributed to the substandard conditions that internees endured during World War II. Due to the difficult living conditions Japanese Americans were forced to endure, they were treated extremely poorly by the

Korematsu was charged for violating Civilian Exclusion Order No.34 because he was still living California (Aitken). As a result, he was sent to an internment camp for five years of probation. In response to the U.S Government’s actions, Korematsu contended with Roosevelt’s executive order and petitioned it to the Supreme Court leading to one of the most monumental cases in American history: Korematsu v. United States. Furthermore, when the case was established in court, the decision was 6 to 3 in favor of the United States and the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066 was upheld. The jurors believed that Korematsu’s detention was “military necessity” and not based on race (U.S Courts). “Korematsu v. United States, 323 U.S. 214 (1944), illuminates the difficulties for the Supreme Court of maintaining protection for individual liberties” (Takagi). The inability for Korematsu to protect his individual rights displays the the Supreme Court’s refusal to help Japanese