"As a result of the above order, approximately 120,000 men, women and children of Japanese ancestry were evicted from the West Coast of the United States and held in American concentration camps." More than half were American citizens. The rest had lived in the USA for at least a generation. If you had at least one great, great grandparent who was of Japanese ancestry, you were considered to be of Japanese ancestry and were sent to a concentration camp.
Although Japanese Americans constituted nearly 40% of the total population of Hawaii at the outbreak of the war (423,000), "only a few thousand were detained there." It would have devastated the local economy if 170,000 local Japanese Americans had been sent to concentration camps in Hawaii.
What was the reason for the concentration camps? Japanese Americans and other Japanese residents were considered to be security risks as the USA was fighting a war against Japan. This was in spite of a presidential commission which reported to Roosevelt one month before Pearl Harbor that, "The local Japanese are loyal to the United States."
During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese fighter pilot crash landed his plane on the remote Hawaiian Island of Niihau. He was detained by local residents in the house of the only three Japanese Americans on the island who spoke both English and Japanese. Later, the pilot convinced the three to help him escape. However, other islanders foiled the escape attempt, killing the pilot. One of the three Japanese Americans committed suicide. The other two were held in US custody for most of the rest of the war, even though they were never charged with any crime.
As a result of the above incident, the US Navy issued a report which stated that there was a "likelihood that Japanese residents previously believed loyal to the United States may aid Japan." About three weeks after the publication of this report, Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Thus, the actions of 3 justified the internment of 120,000. However, "no Japanese American citizen or Japanese national residing in the United States was ever found guilty of sabotage or espionage."
During the war against Nazi Germany, the US also detained 11,000 ethnic Germans out of a total population of 12,000,000 living in the USA. However, most of the detainees were German citizens. So, why the difference between the treatment of ethnic Japanese and ethnic Germans by the US government?
In 1944, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, upheld the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066 in the case of Korematsu vs. United States. Justice Hugo Black wrote for the majority that "(Korematsu) was excluded (from the West Coast) because we are at war with the Japanese Empire and because (the authorities) decided that the military urgency of the situation demanded that all citizens of Japanese ancestry be segregated from the West Coast."
On the other hand, Justice Frank Murphy wrote "I dissent, therefore, from this legalization of racism. Racial discrimination in any form and to any degree has no justifiable part whatever in our democratic way of life."
In spite of being stripped of their freedom and property as a result of Executive Order 9066, thousands of Japanese Americans entered the US military during WWII. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team made up of Japanese Americans fought in Europe and "became, for its size and length of service, the most decorated unit in U.S. military history."
Executive Order 9066 was rescinded by Roosevelt on January 2, 1945, ending a dark chapter in American history. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Civil Liberties Act which offered a formal apology to those Japanese Americans interned and paid out $20,000 to each surviving victim.
During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a Japanese fighter pilot crash landed his plane on the remote Hawaiian Island of Niihau. He was detained by local residents in the house of the only three Japanese Americans on the island who spoke both English and Japanese. Later, the pilot convinced the three to help him escape. However, other islanders foiled the escape attempt, killing the pilot. One of the three Japanese Americans committed suicide. The other two were held in US custody for most of the rest of the war, even though they were never charged with any crime.
As a result of the above incident, the US Navy issued a report which stated that there was a "likelihood that Japanese residents previously believed loyal to the United States may aid Japan." About three weeks after the publication of this report, Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066. Thus, the actions of 3 justified the internment of 120,000. However, "no Japanese American citizen or Japanese national residing in the United States was ever found guilty of sabotage or espionage."
During the war against Nazi Germany, the US also detained 11,000 ethnic Germans out of a total population of 12,000,000 living in the USA. However, most of the detainees were German citizens. So, why the difference between the treatment of ethnic Japanese and ethnic Germans by the US government?
In 1944, the US Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, upheld the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066 in the case of Korematsu vs. United States. Justice Hugo Black wrote for the majority that "(Korematsu) was excluded (from the West Coast) because we are at war with the Japanese Empire and because (the authorities) decided that the military urgency of the situation demanded that all citizens of Japanese ancestry be segregated from the West Coast."
On the other hand, Justice Frank Murphy wrote "I dissent, therefore, from this legalization of racism. Racial discrimination in any form and to any degree has no justifiable part whatever in our democratic way of life."
In spite of being stripped of their freedom and property as a result of Executive Order 9066, thousands of Japanese Americans entered the US military during WWII. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team made up of Japanese Americans fought in Europe and "became, for its size and length of service, the most decorated unit in U.S. military history."
Executive Order 9066 was rescinded by Roosevelt on January 2, 1945, ending a dark chapter in American history. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Civil Liberties Act which offered a formal apology to those Japanese Americans interned and paid out $20,000 to each surviving victim.
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