Pearl Harbor Argumentative Essay

On December 8, 1941 the United States entered war with Japan. This caused all people of japanese ancestry to be interned. Some people thought that this was unfair, but most of the people wanted Japanese to be interned. The common good was the best for all Americans during World War II, because of the suspicion of saboteurs of Japanese ancestry, the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and war hysteria that had possible leads to criminal activity.

A major reason why Japanese were interned was the suspicion of saboteurs. The government said that since there wasn’t sabotage yet, then there will be in the future. In the article, “Sabotage, Subversion and Espionage Lurk in the Shadows,” Dennis Richardson writes, “In the years after the attack on Pearl Harbor,

In the article called “Pearl Harbor,” the author writes, “In all, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor crippled or destroyed nearly 20 American ships and more than 300 airplanes.” The Pearl Harbor incident made Americans think of what was best for their country, not what was best for individual people. Also, in the article called, “The Japanese Attacked Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941,” the author writes,“The bombing killed more than 2,300 Americans. It completely destroyed the American battleship U.S.S. Arizona and capsized the U.S.S. Oklahoma. The attack sank or beached a total of twelve ships and damaged nine others. 160 aircraft were destroyed and 150 others damaged. The attack took the country by surprise, especially the ill-prepared Pearl Harbor base.” This was the most tragic incident and the president made the decision to use common good instead of civil liberties. Additionally, Encyclopædia Britannica says, “Pearl Harbor attack, (December 7, 1941), surprise aerial attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu Island, Hawaii, by the Japanese that precipitated the entry of the United States into World War II.” The United States was disappointed by the bombing and made big decisions without giving notice to the

The article called, “The Impact of Mass Hysteria,” writes, “U.S. citizens feared another attack and war, hysteria seized the country. State representatives put pressure on President Roosevelt on taking action against Japanese who already lived in the U.S..” Americans were worried so they decided to remove all Japanese for the country’s safety. This wasn’t really the president's decision. Another article writes, “The action, excused on grounds of military necessity, was rooted in race prejudice, war hysteria and failure of political leadership.” Americans have the suspicion that Japanese have failed at leadership and they should be interned. Lastly, in the article called, “A Brief History of Japanese American Relocation During World War II” the author writes, “Beginning December 7, the Justice Department organized the arrests of 3,000 people whom it considered "dangerous" enemy aliens, half of whom were Japanese. Of the Japanese, those arrested included community leaders who were involved in Japanese organizations and religious groups.” The government was very strict to suspicious behaviors. If they saw anything they would give serious consequences. They wanted to keep their people safe and stayed cautious and ready for any criminal activity. They also wanted to show authority, by taking the community leaders in for questioning they were asserting dominance and