There are examples of population transfers that have taken place in the twentieth century. In 1923, Greece and Turkey signed the Treaty of Lausanne. The two rival nations agreed to expel 150,000 Greeks living in Turkey, and 388,000 Turks living in Greece back to their ethnic homelands. Except in Cyprus where the populations remained mixed. Turkey and Greece have not taken up arms against each other again. After World War II eight million people of German ethnicity were expelled from their native co

American history gives an example of mishandled population redistributions. The atrocities against the American Indians in the 1800's are a brutal example of what can result when population redistributions are poorly executed. The U.S. relocated Indian tribes to reservations throughout the U.S. The Indians were forced to leave not only their homes but also their entire way of life behind. This was the end to years of bloodshed between the cavalry and the Indians. Unfortunately the Indians were killed nearly to extinction before they were relocated to these reservations. Did this preserve the lives of the remaining Indians or was it just one final step in taking the land where the Indians had resided for generations.

The Government is given the power to do what is necessary to win in times of war. This right is guaranteed in the Constitution of the United States. 'What is necessary to win a war' includes the relocation of anyone posing a threat to our national security, and the Japanese seen as a threat during the war. The population redistribution of the Japanese-Americans in WWII, was a temporary solution to a potential threat to national security and it was a way to protect the Japanese from fearful and angry American citizens.

As it was in the forced relocation of Japanese-Americans in WWII, the biggest obstacle to involuntary Population redistributions is the morality of such a program. To force people from the land and communities of their ancestors in order to procure the possibility of internal stability is an enormous price. The emotional and psychological toll to these people is likely far more costing than that which the Japanese-Americans faced. Simply because this has been their homeland for hundreds of years as opposed to a few generations.

Even before the onset of war, due to the differences in their language, culture, communities, customs, and religion, the Japanese living in America were already alienated from much of society. This made it easier for Americans to justify to themselves the need for a temporary population redistribution of the Japanese-Americans. When the bombing of Pearl Harbor occurred, the American people were afraid of a Japanese attack and of the Japanese living near them on the West Coast. People believed their Japanese-American neighbors were the enemy. Americans were so enraged at Japan that they turned their anger towards Japanese-Americans in the forms of protests, discrimination and violent hatred. The Government, including President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, were pressured by the restlessness of the people, the threat of a Japanese attack, the threat of violence between Americans and Japanese-Americans and the lack of time to take action.

After years of hardship, the Japanese in the relocation camps were ordered released. The threat of Japanese spies had passed and it was no longer deemed necessary to detain them. The Japanese-Americans had little or nothing to return to. Most had lost everything during their internment. Years later, in 1976, President Gerald R. Ford made Proclamation 4417, which made Executive Order No. 9066 completely void. The proclamation was also written to admit that the government had been wrong to treat its citizens with such disrespect. It states that the Japanese-Americans were extremely loyal and were unfairly suspected. In 1983 the government decided to give monetary compensation to the internees and to apologize and make up for their lost possessions and suffering.

Some common words found in the essay are:
War II, Power Clause, California Arizona, United Nations, Japanese-Americans WWII, President Roosevelt, Unfortunately Indians, Italians Germans, Yugoslavia Currently, Ford Proclamation, population redistributions, national security, population redistribution, former yugoslavia, internment camps, relocation camps, west coast, population transfer, potential threat, bombing pearl harbor, threat japanese, forced leave homes, center fighting serbs, national security dewitt, world war ii,
Approximate Word count = 4025
Approximate Pages = 16 (250 words per page double spaced)