AsianAmericans and concentration camps in WWII
In the early 1940's, there was evidence of Japanese-American loyalty and innocence, but the information was not always well known. This, coupled with the factors of war hysteria led to the legal upholding of concentration camps in Korematsu v. U.S. (1944). The injustice was clouded, most immediately by the war, and indirectly by racism at home. The sneak attack on Pearl Harbor left a permanent indent on the way Americans viewed the Japanese. Indeed, it was this one act which thrust the isolationist U.S. into the middle of the world's biggest war. The brutal attack, so close to home, was viewed as sneaky and underhanded. This, added to the fact that the Japanese were rumored to have an amazingly effective spy system on Hawaii and the West Coast, led the Japanese-Americans to become highly
suspected individuals. They were even a more immediate threat than communists, since they required an eventual takeover, and Germans, since they were preoccupied by numerous enemies. In addition, the Japanese-Americans were concentrated on the Western Coast and could thus organize better. There is also the chasm of culture; ignorance is the key to racism, and the average American knew very little of the lifestyle and customs of the Far East. This led to more suspicion. In short, there were facts, but the overwhelming war mania pertaining to the encompassing war caused a protective hysteria. It is ironic that a country fighting for Democracy could demean it's own citizens in this manner, but at that time national safety was more important. There was prejudice against the Japanese-Americans,
Some common words found in the essay are:
Japanese Japanese-Americans, Pearl Harbor, West Coast, , Munson Report, Japanese Indeed, Western Coast, concentration camps, effective spy system, spy system, pearl harbor, effective spy, west coast,
Approximate Word count = 540
Approximate Pages = 2 (250 words per page double spaced)
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