Peace Within Internment Camps As John Lennon once said, “Peace is not something you wish for; it’s something you make, something you do, something you are, and something you give away” (Lennon). Although not all Japanese-Americans were spies, there were many to watch out for in the United States. President Roosevelt signed an executive order that led to the relocation of the Japanese to internment camps in order to keep America safe and have the descendants from Japan prove their loyalty to the country, but it also created opportunities for the Japanese years later. Japanese-Americans suffered mistreatment throughout the whole war. They could not become citizens, own land, or vote. Executive Order 9066 was signed on February 19, 1942 and furthered this exploitation. It forced all Japanese-Americans to depart the West Coast. …show more content…
During the war, Fred Korematsu attempted to prove the bad morals of the relocation camps, but the Supreme Court supported the validity of Executive Order 9066 saying it was “a wartime necessity” (“Japanese-American Internment”). The last center, Tule Lake, closed on March 20, 1946; it peaked at a population of 18,789 internees on December 25, 1944 (“Japanese-American Internment Camps”). In 1948, a law was passed that stated the government would indemnify the property that the people of the camps lost. Even though many Japanese-Americans did not return to their original cities, this new law helped create more opportunities for them to start over with their lives and families. Another factor that helped contribute to the favorable circumstances of the Japanese-Americans was the year 1988. In the year of 1988, Congress sought forgiveness from the people of Japanese descent and offered $20,000 to each surviving member of the camps for the “ violation of their liberties” (“Japanese-American