Japanese Internment Camps Essay

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During World War II, America, in remembrance of the First World War, attempted to sustain neutrality throughout the conflict. While not directly joining the war, the U.S. did aid allied countries indirectly through “leasing” systems. The United States also showed its favoritism by placing embargos on Axis countries like Japan. Noticing the United States partiality toward the allied powers, Japan sought to damage the States armed forces before the country decided to enter the war. On December 7, 1941, at 7:55 in the morning, Japanese fighters ambushed Pearl Harbor on the island of Oahu. In this attack over twenty – four thousand American sailors were slaughtered. The Japanese managed to destroy and damaged many naval ships in the surprise attack …show more content…

Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. This order warranted the “Relocation” of roughly 110,000 Japanese-Americans to internment camps. It was not only backed by the war department but also thought of as a necessity for national security. The relocation project was so massive that it lead to the creation of a new government agency called the War Relocation Authority (wra). Fearful that residents who contained Japanese ancestry would be loyal to Japan, these internment camps were opened to contain and surveillance them. This was thought as a preventative measure against espionage. However, the majority of these interned citizens were, in fact, native-born, or “Nisei”. With impending imprisonment, families were forced to hastily sell homes and businesses. Not only did Japanese-American citizen have to sell their properties, but often at very low prices. Their relocation also caused them to leave behind precious memorabilia and belongings. Not only did these hundreds of thousands of citizens have to abandon their worldly possessions, but they also had their civil liberties snatched from them. Even after the war is over, because of the sudden abandonment of possessions and homes, many Japanese citizens would have to start their lives over from the