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Heart Mountain: The History of an American Concentration Camp
183 pages, Hardcover
First published December 31, 1976
10 people want to read
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November 29, 2023
A remarkable, yet devastating tour into an appalling history within the United States that saw the forced internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans, 14,000 of whom were sent to Heart Mountain in northwestern Wyoming. Nelson's work illustrates how ugly sentiments of xenophobia, racism, and bigotry can lead to the violation of human rights and civil liberties thus tarnishing the reputation of a country that prides itself on valuing human dignity, equality, liberty, and justice.
Although this is a story that will unsettle readers, it is deeply important for all of us to meditate on and understand so that we may cease resorting to violence and stupidity out of fear and ignorance. I was able to also visit the Heart Mountain Relocation Center during my travels earlier this year and can attest that it is an astounding museum and site worth visiting.
As much pain and suffering as Japanese Americans endured, their resilience is what captures your attention the most and there are some positive outcomes that came out of this tragedy. Many activists fought to bring about the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which granted reparations to Japanese Americans and "provided an unprecedented national apology as well as symbolic compensation to Japanese Americans for the injustice and injury done to them by their government. This extraordinary action by the U.S. government stands as one of the most important reaffirmations of America's integrity, strength and its promise of justice for all."
Thus, though history teaches us that humans can be incredibly cruel, humans can also work to shine some light on the dark aspects of history and human nature, so that we can work to hopefully never allow it to happen again to anyone.
Although this is a story that will unsettle readers, it is deeply important for all of us to meditate on and understand so that we may cease resorting to violence and stupidity out of fear and ignorance. I was able to also visit the Heart Mountain Relocation Center during my travels earlier this year and can attest that it is an astounding museum and site worth visiting.
As much pain and suffering as Japanese Americans endured, their resilience is what captures your attention the most and there are some positive outcomes that came out of this tragedy. Many activists fought to bring about the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 which granted reparations to Japanese Americans and "provided an unprecedented national apology as well as symbolic compensation to Japanese Americans for the injustice and injury done to them by their government. This extraordinary action by the U.S. government stands as one of the most important reaffirmations of America's integrity, strength and its promise of justice for all."
Thus, though history teaches us that humans can be incredibly cruel, humans can also work to shine some light on the dark aspects of history and human nature, so that we can work to hopefully never allow it to happen again to anyone.
Displaying 1 of 1 review