Internment of Japanese Americans

This research paper summarizes the principal causes and consequences of the massive exclusion and evacuation of Japanese Americans (JAs) during World War II from the West Coast and their relocation to remote internment camps in the interior. In 1942 approximately 117,000 JAs were forcibly removed, transported and incarcerated by the United States Government. Approximately two-thirds of them were Nisei, persons of Japanese descent who were born in America and therefore were American citizens, and the remainder Issei, JAs who were immigrants from Japan and who were by law ineligible to become naturalized citizens. The removal and incarceration of the Nisei, if not of the Issei, represented a gross violation of their constitutional rights. The most important cause of this policy was the traumatic and panic-stricken reaction (fear and hysteria), especially on the West Coast, which resulted from the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Other factors included the long history of American racial prejudice and hatred of Japanese immigrants, as intensified by war passions, greed and envy and a near total failure of political leadership by all elements of government, including that of President Franklin Roosevelt (FDR).

The evacuation and resettlement of the JAs had virtually no military consequences since the JAs remained loyal to the United States. They helped stir up more race prejudice on the West Co

. . .
during the pre-war years that Japanese Americans were "adjuncts of Japan and therefore potential enemies." Robinson added that throughout the evacuation period, "Roosevelt's ideas about people of Japanese ancestry remained dominated by his belief in innate biological character" and that JAs were a "treacherous people" who were "inherently savage" and "unassimilable aliens." Irons' interpretation was that FDR's "record as President reflected a limited awareness of and attention to the plight of racial minorities." FDR was basically indifferent to the fate of the JAs and took the path of least resistance which also happened to be politically expedient. Exclusion, Relocation and Incarceration It took a number of months to exclude the JAs from the designated zones and place them in assembly areas which were areas such as Santa Anita Racetrack and camp fairgrounds. The Army had responsibility for removal and relocation. The new War Relocation Authority (WRA) which was initially headed by Milton Eisenhower and for most of the war former Department of Agriculture civil servant Desmond Myer. Because few, if any, preparations had been made, the Army attempted to persuade JAs to emigrate voluntarily to the assembly areas. This failed.
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Japanese Americans, West Coast, Harold Ickes, Smith Japanese, Pacific Coast, According Goodwin, Stimson February, Issei Nisei, According Nagata, Ronald Reagan, japanese americans, west coast, press 2001, world war ii, university washington press, war ii, washington press, executive 9066, university washington, japanese americans relocation, relocation redress, americans relocation redress, internment camps, seattle university washington, world war,
Approximate Word count = 3656
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Internment of Japanese Americans