The Internment of Japanese Americans during World War II: The History of the Controversial Decision to Relocate Citizens Across the West Coast

by Charles River Editors

*Includes pictures*Includes accounts of camp life written by internees*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contents“The truth is—as this deplorable experience proves—that constitutions and laws are not sufficient of themselves...Despite the unequivocal language of the Constitution of the United States that the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, and despite the Fifth Amendment's command that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law, both of these constitutional safeguards were denied by military action under Executive Order 9066.” – Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark “I don't want any of them here. They are a dangerous element. There is no way to determine their loyalty... It makes no difference whether he is an American citizen, he is still a Japanese. American citizenship does not necessarily determine loyalty... But we must worry about the Japanese all the time until he is wiped off the map.” – General John L. DeWitt, head of the Western CommandEven before Congress declared war on Japan the day after Pearl Harbor, the implications for people of Japanese ancestry living in the United States had begun. On December 7th, several hundred Issei, or first-generation Japanese immigrants, were arrested in Hawaii and on the mainland, having been earlier identified by the FBI as potentially disloyal to the United States. In the months that followed, the scope of suspicion would expand to include all of the 125,000 Japanese living on the mainland, and, though a smaller percentage, many in Hawaii as well. By the time the war ended, the period of internment of Japanese immigrants and citizens, lasting from 1941-1945, was considered one of the most unfortunate episodes of American history. Many government officials in the immediate aftermath of the war era continued to defend internment, citing the possibility of attack and the need to protect Americans at all costs. There were many Americans, however, whose rights as citizens went unprotected, and political arguments aside, no American can fail to acknowledge the costs of internment to Nikkei families, physically, financially, socially and psychologically. It was not until the first week of September in 1945, just a few weeks after the dropping of the atomic bombs on Japan and the surrender of the Japanese that followed, that Japanese internees knew for sure they would be allowed to leave the camps.The Internment of Japanese Americans during World War The History of the Controversial Decision to Relocate Citizens Across the West Coast examines one of the darkest chapters in American history. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the decision to intern Japanese Americans like never before.

Genres: History

73 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2016

About the author

Charles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.

Reviews

[Christina Schnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you’re looking for a crash course this is it. This book was really concise and a great overview.

[AlohaMyPikachu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of what is contained in this book I've read from other sources. What makes it different is the fact that I had to read several books and this book condenses a lot of the historical facts and quotes from the Japanese internment time period. It's not a long book but it's not too short either. I'd recommend it if you have an interest in the subject.

[James Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of books about the internment of the Japanese and German Americans and I consider this one to be one of the best. It's concise yet presents a lot of information. From the title you can see that is about persons of German and Japanese origin in the U.S. before nad during WWII.

This includes people who did not yet have American citizenship and people who were born to parents of Japanese or German origin and who did have American citizenship by being born in this country.

It goes into how these first and second-generation groups were investigated by the FBI and the military, how they were judged as necessary to be interned or shipped out of the country, how some persons of German ancestry were taken from where they lived in South American countries and put into internment camps in the U.S., this based usually on assumptions based on information that would not hold up in any court in the country in today's world.

It also goes into how these people were often denied legal representation, how families were separated, what types of places they ended up living in and how all of this had an effect on their family structure.

There's also online resources given and a further reading section. It's not a happy story at all and shows just how dark some aspects of the U.S. were during that time, largely based on racial prejudice.

[Cralls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short book, but it felt more ‘concise’ than ‘thin’. Anyone interested or just who doesn’t know much about this episode of American history should pick up the book for a very quick read just to familiar yourself with it. One of the most interesting parts to me was that after Pearl Harbor, most neighbors of Japanese didn’t suspect anything from them. It was only after media began to fan flames did the fear of the neighbor really begin to take hold. Such a great reminder to remain firm and sensible especially when something dramatic like war or an attack are present rather than be ruled by fear (and thus easily manipulated).

[Yvette Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Historical book about a sad and injustice time in our national history that not only does no one talk about most don't acknowledge it or want to remember. These individuals are ignored amidst the cries against slavery and they were American citizens.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye opening description of a horrible event in our history. A group of people were stripped of their constitutional rights simply because if their race.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise but vivid account of another unfortunate episode of US and WWII history..