Japanese Internment Camps
Order 9066
Ever since December 7th, 1942, the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, America was suspicious and wary of anyone who was of Japanese descent. Although it wasn’t necessarily based in fact, the general assumption was that the Japanese immigrants could be spies or would resist America in their attacks on Japan. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Order 9066 on February 19, 1942. This order set up 10 internment camps where over 10,000 Japanese Americans would be moved to for "America's safety".
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Typical notices posted to alert the Japanese-Americans of their imminent move
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Japanese Americans waiting for a bus that will take them to an assembly center
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The Journey
After Order 9066 was passed, the Japanese Americans had roughly 10 days to sell, throw out, or discard their possessions. They were quickly moved to one of the eighteen assembly centers, with only the belongings that they could carry with them. The WRA, or War Relocation Authority, quickly erected 10 more permanent internment camps for the Japanese Americans to live in.
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The Internment Camps
Each internment camp was divided into blocks, and further divided into barracks and sparse facilities. The quarters were cramped, and every block (fourteen barracks) only had one men's lavatory, and one woman's lavatory. There was also a laundry room, an ironing facility, a mess hall, and a recreation hall. The WRA did encourage social activities and clubs in the recreation hall, and even experimented with self-government programs - although they were so fearful of the Japanese gaining power that the programs usually failed.
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"But you know it was all sand. Sand and no solid ground — it's all sand. So when the wind would come out at night it'd just blow that sand up. Even when you're walking down you can get caught in something. And actually, other than that, you didn't have anything between the barracks and then they had tar paper on the walls, outside. But after maybe a week or so they got these things like the floor — well the floor didn't come in for some time so we had to go through that a lot. We had to wash our utensils before. Then they got the wash rooms made up—that was the other thing—it was terrible."
~Paul Ohtaki, an internee. |
A social activity near an internment camp barrack
Japanese Military Service
In 1942, Congress labeled any persons of Japanese descent "4C", which meant "aliens not subject for military service." The Japanese American Citizens League intensely lobbied for the Japanese-American rights and Roosevelt eventually instructed the War Department to allow Japanese-American soldiers.
Although the Japanese immigrants were still separated for the protection of other American citizens, they were allowed to participate in the military. In fact, when the need for soldiers became desperate, the viable internees could be drafted. |
End of Internment
In 1943, the WRA began the incorporation of release and relocation programs for the internees. However, the Japanese Americans were fearful, not joyful. They were worried that, especially because they had been forced to sell their homes and possessions, they would be turned out without means of living. They also feared attacks from anti-Japanese mobs and the complete loss of traditional community structure. The WRA responded by making the relocation process very easy. In 1944, all they had to do was sign a loyalty statement and register with a WRA field officer near a provided home. As to means of survival, each family received $100 in a government grant and several booklets of food coupons. By the end of 1945, all but one of the camps had completely closed. Unfortunately, the Japanese-Americans still faced harsh racial prejudice in society.
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An example of the extreme racial prejudice
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