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Japanese American Internment Essay

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The Japanese American Internment The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was a tragic and disgraceful period in American history. President Franklin D. Roosevelt was responsible for this decision, and it is important to investigate why, as president, he made this choice. This paper will discuss the factors that led to the internment of Japanese Americans, how the decision was implemented, and the long-term consequences of the policy. Specifically, it will examine the political, economic, and societal motivations behind the decision, the process of mass relocation, and the lasting damage it has caused to the Japanese American community. It will ultimately demonstrate that President Roosevelt’s decision was motivated by …show more content…

In the coming days, President Roosevelt declared war on Japan and asked Congress to declare war on Germany and Italy, thus entering the United States into World War II, which was the result of long-standing tension between Japan and the United States as Japan was seeking to expand its empire in Asia and the Pacific, but the United States had imposed economic sanctions on Japan to limit its expansion, including cutting off their access to oil essential for their military and industrial needs. This had a significant impact on the Japanese-American community residing in the United States. Many Americans viewed Japanese Americans with suspicion, and calls for their removal from the West Coast were widespread. Thus prompting President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 9066, on February 19th, 1942. The order gave the military the power to exclude any person from an area deemed to be a military zone, which the government defined as the entire West Coast, and used this order to justify the forced removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans, moreover, anyone with 1/8th or more "Oriental" blood, regardless of their …show more content…

Furthermore, the struggling U.S. economy at the time led to fears that Japanese Americans would take jobs away from white Americans. As a result, the internment of Japanese Americans would help to protect the domestic economy by ensuring that jobs remained available for white Americans. The impact of the Japanese internment on Japanese Americans cannot be overstated. Families were torn apart as men, women, and children were forced to leave their homes and businesses behind. They were given only a few days' notice to pack their belongings and report to assembly centers, where they were held in cramped and unsanitary conditions. From there, they were transported to internment camps located in remote areas of the country, such as Arizona, Arkansas, and

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