Japanese-Americans during World War IIThe International High School at LafayetteAmerican HistoryUnit 3 - Immigration and MigrationMr. JoelJuan, Marie, Ying

Japanese-Americans during World War IIPopulation Facts:

-Japanese immigrants started to arrive in the mid-to late 1800s, causing tensions between nativists and Japanese-Americans in the Pacific Coast

-The Immigration Act of 1924 banned immigration from Japan

-Today there are over 1.2 million American citizens who claim a status as Japanese-American

Japanese-Americans during World War IIReasons for Immigration:

-Japans forced modernization policies during the Meiji Restoration caused many agrarian Japanese to seek new opportunities in America

-The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 led to an increased demand for new labor sources, and industrialists sought to replace Chinese immigrants with Japanese laborers

Japanese-Americans during World War IILife in the United States:

-Japans bombing of a naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941 led to U.S. involvement in WWII

-During the war, the U.S. government feared that Japanese-Americans might aid Imperial Japan

-Thousands of immigrants--some U.S. citizens--were placed in War Relocation Camps, where they were forced to stay during the war

-Although this internment was challenged, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the orders in Korematsu v. United States

Japanese-Americans during World War IIQuotation:

I dont want any of them [Japanese immigrants] here. They are a dangerous element. There is no way to determine their loyalty It makes no difference whether he is an American, he is still 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.-John Dewitt, Lieutenant General in the United States military

Japanese-Americans during World War IIMap Connection:

This map shows the relocation centers used by the American governmentto detain immigrants of Japanese descent during WWII, as well as the exclusion areas which prohibited Japanese from entering for issues of national security.

Japanese-Americans during World War IILife Today:

-In the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the U.S. government apologized for the internment during the war and said that the detainment was based on race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.

-Since WWII, Japanese-Americans have served in many positions of government

-Today, about 7,000 new Japanese immigrants arrive in the United States each year

Japanese-Americans during World War IIClass Question:

If it saved American lives and made the country safer, was the U.S. government justified in detaining Japanese immigrants during the war?