Today is February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 forces all Japanese-Americans regardless of loyalty or citizenship, to evacuate the west. In early 1942, the Roosevelt Administration was pressured to remove people of Japanese ancestry from the West Coast. Roosevelt was pressured to do, this because he felt that some Japanese-Americans were plotting a sabotage against the US, following the bomb of Pearl Harbor.
Hundreds of Japanese troops destroyed 8 of the biggest battle ships and over 300 airplanes. More than 2,000 American Troops died and over 1,000 were hurt. The day after the assault, “President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war on Japan” ( History.com/Staff, 2009). Executive order 9066 On February 19, 1942 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066, this meant that all Japanese citizens no matter how loyal they were to the U.S to leave the West Coast.
In the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. The order was a “protection against espionage and against sabotage to national defense material, national defense premises, and national defense utilities.” The order also allowed for military commanders to define military areas at their discretion. Congress also passed a law in conjunction with the order to penalize anyone who violated the imposed restrictions.
In the texts, "In Response to Executive Order 9066" by Dwight Okita and "Mericans" by Sandra Cisneros, a topic of American identity and perception of identity is shared. Both texts take a brief look at the lives, characteristics, and feelings of young girls living a bicultural life. In Cisnero's story, the girl seems caught between her two different cultures, and she struggles to connect with her Mexican heritage. In Okita's poem, the girl has a clear sense of her identity and place as an American. Culture is experienced and interpreted differently by each individual and each group of people.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor the United States was in an uproar. Americans were now in fear of Japanese spies and they placed their suspicions on ordinary Japanese American citizens. President Roosevelt was swayed into ordering Executive Order 9066. President Roosevelt was not justified in ordering Executive Order 9066 due to violation of constitutional rights, blatant racism, and long term negative consequences caused by the internment of Japanese American citizens in 1942. Franklin Roosevelt used poor judgement when he ordered Executive Order 9066 because of the racism behind this executive order.
The Executive Order 9066 was an ordered issued by America during World War II in 1941 from the japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. As a result of the bombing this order was issued, sending more than 110,000 japanese americans living on the west coast of the U.S and were placed in internment camps. This was an unnecessary and racist act made by America, “this imprisonment was the result of two closely related emotions; racism and hysteria (japanese-american internment was an unnecessary and racist act)”. Many people agree that this event was very unnecessary, Edison Tomimaro Uno a former internee notes that the Japanese people relocated to camps for their own “protection” was sheer hypocrisy, he calls this a crime attributable to racism and economic and political opportunism which is a statement I agree with.
In 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued an executive order to the Secretary of War to set military areas. This led to the imprisonment of several minorities. Japanese-American citizens were among the individuals most affected by having property taken away and being stripped of their civil rights . Executive Order 9066 was an attempt to ensure safety, is still relevant today, and its history can be used to learn what practices work best at protecting American citizens’ civil liberties. During World War II, people were scared for their lives in the United States.
Japan's unexpected assault on Pearl Harbor in 1941 caused America to be thrown into a period of chaos and anxiety. During this horrid time, Japanese-Americans residing on the West Coast were labeled as the main suspects of espionage and seen as dangerous because of their heritage. President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, as a result of the prevailing feelings of fear and unpredictability. This order, which allowed the displacement and imprisonment of more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, represented a major shift in U.S. history. Families were forcibly removed from their houses, their belongings were taken, and Japanese individuals were transported thousands of miles to be placed in these camps.
The common theme in both of the short stories is centered around the cultural differences both girls faced due to the heirtage. Although both authours decsribed and expressed this in different ways they also share many similarities. Theirs stories help to show the many different people and cultures that America has to offer and express. The "Response to Exeuctive Order 9066" express how she feels about her American identity, whereas "Mericans" ties more into her hispanic family.
Jayna Marie Lorenzo May 23, 2023 Historiography Paper Professor Kevin Murphy Historiography Final: Japanese Internment “A date which will live in infamy,” announced President Roosevelt during a press conference after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Due to the military threat by the Japanese on the West Coast, on February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, ordering for the incarceration of all people of Japanese descent. The Order forced about 120,000 Japanese Americans into relocation centers across the United States where they remained in captivity until the war ended.
After the attacks on Pearl Harbor by Japan in 1943, the U.S government feared that Japanese Americans might aid Japan on future attacks on American soil. As a result, president Roosevelt issued executive order 9066, which granted the secretary of war and his commanders the power “to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded. ”(Britannica 1).While specific were not mentioned in the order, it was used on almost the whole population of Japanese Americans on the west coast. Many Americans at the time saw Japanese people as a threat to national security and believed that they could not be trusted.
During July of 1941, millions of jobs were being created, primarily in densely-populated areas, as the United States prepared to enter World War II. These densely-populated areas had large numbers of migration, specifically from African Americans, who sought to work in defense industries, but were often met with rejection and discrimination within the workplace. A. Philip Randolph, a civil rights activist and president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, and other black leaders, met with Eleanor Roosevelt and members of the President’s cabinet. They demanded action from Franklin Delano Roosevelt to be taken towards eliminating racial bias in the workplace; they threatened to commence a March on Washington if an executive order was not
Many innocent Japanese American citizens were affected by Executive Order 9066. President Roosevelt ordered Executive Order 9066 out of desperation and fear. Every american citizen was on edge, and was scared after Pearl Harbor. Slowly, the fear and discrimination of Japanese Americans began. The mindset of the feared Americans was incorrect, but they saw no other option besides internment camps.
On December 7, of 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, inevitably marking the entrance of the United States in World War II. Nearly ten weeks after, on February 19, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Thus authorizing the relocation of any American citizen with Japanese descent, away from their homes and businesses. By June, more than 110,000 Japanese Americans were sent away to remote areas, created purely by the military to segregate them from other races in the United States. For more than two years, these American citizens were forced to live in isolated areas with difficult living conditions and harsh treatment by their military guards.
Unfortunately as the war came to an end their positions in the labor force were proven to not be permanent. The image of Rosie the Riveter and what she stood for was proven to be a glorified symbol compared to the reality of their roles. Although at the time it seemed like women were making social advancements, after the war ended women were reverted back to their old social ways. In 1946, one year after the war there was a decrease of half a million women in “craftsmen and foremen” positions and the percentage of women in service positions increased. By April 1947 women were back to working service jobs and were reverted back to the same pay they were making before the war began.
