For as long as mankind can remember, prejudice in one form or another has always been apparent in the world. For some, it is religion, color, or race. But, during the second world war, prejudices were directed at people whose nationalities weren't of native American blood. The Japanese-Americans were exploited and forced into "relocation camps" during World War II all because the American government thought of them as a threat to American society, for fear that they were conspiring with the Japanese government to try and overthrow the United States government.

In 1941, the number of Japanese Americans living in the continental Unites States totaled 127,000. Over 112,000 of them lived in the three Pacific Coast states of Oregon, Washington, and California. Of this group, nearly 80% of the total resided in the state of California alone (Uchida 47). In the over imaginative minds of the residents of California, where the antipathy towards the Asians was the most intense, the very nature of the Pearl Harbor attack provided ample-and prophetic-proof of inherent Japanese treachery (Uchida 68). As the Imperial Army chalked up success after success on the

Because of the racist naturalization laws, the Issei and other first-generation Asian Americans were not allowed to become citizens until the 1950's (Christgau 87). Most second-generation Japanese Americans, being the Nisei, did not become old enough to vote until the 1940's, and the World War II imprisonment was a huge setback in their struggles to participate in American politics (Christgau 88).

On December 7, 1941, Japan attacked and devastated Pearl Harbor.

There were ten WRA camps during WWII. Most were in remote areas in the states of Arizona, Wyoming, Utah, Arkansas, and California. The most infamous was the camp in Topaz, Utah where 8,130 Japanese were detained (Taylor 19).

iculturists who had long been casting their eyes on the coastal area of the richly cultivated Japanese land, a superb opportunity had just become theirs for the long sought after expulsion of a very unwanted minority (Uchida 91).

The Japanese-American internment during World War II in Topaz, Utah was a sobering experience for many of the Japanese who had moved to America in hopes of a better start. Although they had done nothing wrong, they were still thought of as conspiring with the enemies just because they were of a different race. Extreme senses of nationalism and "keeping America for Americans" was what fueled the hatred and the expulsion of the Japanese. The Japanese-Americans were exploited and forced into "relocation camps" during World War II all because the American government thought of them as a threat to American society, when really all they wanted was a piece of that American apple pie.

They were in a constant conflict with the older Issei's lifestyles. They aged from 1 to 30 years old. The Sansei was the third group of Japanese. They were the Japanese babies born in America (Uchida 21).

more subtle forms of discrimination. Atkinson, a second year law student at the University of Utah, wonders how far her career will advance. As a member of the minority and women's law on the campus, Atkinson has campaigned for a more diverse faculty and student body. Atkinson states," It's only in the past few years that I have come to understand about discrimination. Being in law school, I am interested in seeing more minorities, especially Japanese-Americans, in professional fields. And that glass ceiling you're always hearing about-I would like to see that gone." (Salt Lake 4A)

In 1988, after a decade long campaign, the government apologized and offered $1.25 billion in redress payments to the internees. (Brimner 105).

War crimes were abundant during the internment. Many shooting and beatings occurred and most court cases were either dismissed or the defendants were found to be not guilty. One such incident occurred April 11, 1943, at Topaz, by sentry Gerald B. Philpott. James Hatsuki Wakasa was shot and killed on April 11. Wakasa was a graduate of Keio College in Tokyo, and he came to the US in 1903 and studied for two years at the University of Wisconsin. Durin

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Approximate Word count = 2072
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)