Cold War Japanese Internment Analysis

“Delay invites great danger. Rapid and united effort by all of the peoples of the world who are determined to remain free will insure a world victory of the forces of justice and of righteousness over the forces of savagery and of barbarism.” - Franklin D. Roosevelt’s message to Congress about declaring war on Germany. When people hear World War II they immediately think of D-day, Germany, Pearl Harbor, etc. Think of the postwar era of World War II. It was a prosperous time for the economy and the military. There were some prejudices that arose from the Japanese-American internment. Political standoffs that were so tense you could cut it with a dull knife. Let us not forget about during the war and how it forced some of the changes that came

The GI Bill made voluntary enlistment rise with the idea of free college. The bill was not limited to just college and a house, they were also allowed to buy a farm if going to college did not suit them. The politics that followed the war had its ups and downs. The start of the Cold War and how it caused future conflicts and major disputes. The creation of an organization meant to stop World War III from happening. Foreign relations that grew among the allied forces and adding a new ally to the

These guys felt the blunt force of discrimination during this time. Japanese-Americans were forced into one of ten permanent camps. This was the result of Executive Order 9066 and Pearl Harbor. These camps were given the name internment camps. The point of internment was to test the loyalty of the Japanese-Americans. Some of the able bodied men enlisted into the military, this showed true loyalty. The ones who didn’t were watched carefully. Inside these camps the living conditions were poor. During the winter they had to deal with low quality heating. Amongst the persecution they received they created a community. Working together they had farms, newspapers, and schools. People outside the camps still looked at them like they were traitors. After the war ended the Japanese internment did too, although, last camp didn’t close until 1945 though. The Japanese-Americans returned to their homes, or what was left of them. Most of the ones who were in the internment camps returned to their houses to find that everything they had was gone. Either looted or sold. This was not the only thing that happened to the Japanese-Americans. Some Japanese-American kids were looked at like they were from another country altogether. An example of this can be found in Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, when she was in sixth grade a girl was shocked she could speak English. (pg. 113-114) Years