Japanese American internment
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[[Image:Beyond Words.jpg|thumb|Water color by Kanga Takamura of a camp in Santa Fe, [[New Mexico]], showing "interns" engaging in anti-American activity under the watchful eyes of their "protectors".]] | [[Image:Beyond Words.jpg|thumb|Water color by Kanga Takamura of a camp in Santa Fe, [[New Mexico]], showing "interns" engaging in anti-American activity under the watchful eyes of their "protectors".]] | ||
| − | The '''Japanese American internment''' refers to the period of time from February 1942 to the end of [[World War II]] when 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were moved to ten "relocation camps" in the western [[United States]]. Ostensibly, these camps were to remove the threat of Japanese espionage agents on the west coast of the United States. However, many commentators have raised questions about the effectiveness of such a program, preferring to call the relocation a racist swipe against Japanese-Americans. 62% of the internees were United States citizens, the rest being resident aliens on United States soil. Several hundred internees were of German and Italian ancestry as well. However these internees were actually citizens of their respective countries or members of organizations such as the Germans-American Bund which featured an | + | The '''Japanese American internment''' refers to the period of time from February 1942 to the end of [[World War II]] when 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were moved to ten "relocation camps" in the western [[United States]]. Ostensibly, these camps were to remove the threat of Japanese espionage agents on the west coast of the United States. However, many commentators have raised questions about the effectiveness of such a program, preferring to call the relocation a racist swipe against Japanese-Americans. 62% of the internees were United States citizens, the rest being resident aliens on United States soil. Several hundred internees were of German and Italian ancestry as well. However these internees were actually citizens of their respective countries or members of organizations such as the Germans-American Bund which featured an American fuhrer so these internees are not comparable to their Japanese counterparts, as their internment was fueled by Racism, which Italians and Germans did not experience (or at least not as much as Japanese-Americans). There was also a less well known (at least in the US) internment of Japanese Canadians, especially those living in British Columbia.[http://www.najc.ca/thenandnow/experience1b.php] |
The prevailing attitude in the United States is that the camps were unjustified and [[racism|racist]], a result of "wartime hysteria". This viewpoint is affirmed by Article I, Section 9 (guaranteeing the writ of ''[[habeas corpus]]''), and the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution (which states that no person shall "be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"). | The prevailing attitude in the United States is that the camps were unjustified and [[racism|racist]], a result of "wartime hysteria". This viewpoint is affirmed by Article I, Section 9 (guaranteeing the writ of ''[[habeas corpus]]''), and the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution (which states that no person shall "be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law"). | ||
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Others point to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 as justification for the relocation (despite the law applying only to resident aliens, which doesn't justify imprisoning several thousand ''Nisei'' American Citizens), and cite [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s suspension of ''habeas corpus'' during the American Civil War. | Others point to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 as justification for the relocation (despite the law applying only to resident aliens, which doesn't justify imprisoning several thousand ''Nisei'' American Citizens), and cite [[Abraham Lincoln]]'s suspension of ''habeas corpus'' during the American Civil War. | ||
| − | [[Michelle Malkin]] wrote a lovely <s>anthology of how to use logical fallacies</s> pro-internment book, called ''In Defense of Internment: The Case for 'Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror''. It talks about a few specific cases of disloyalty by Japanese-Americans, which is then used as justification for detaining all of them based on race. Ironically if she | + | [[Michelle Malkin]] wrote a lovely <s>anthology of how to use logical fallacies</s> pro-internment book, called ''In Defense of Internment: The Case for 'Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror''. It talks about a few specific cases of disloyalty by Japanese-Americans, which is then used as justification for detaining all of them based on race. Ironically if she had been alive in the United States during WW2 she would have been interned as close enough. |
Oddly enough the internment orders only applied to Japanese living on the West Coast of the continental United States and Canada, but did not apply to those Japanese who lived in Hawaii, the part of the United States that was actually attacked. | Oddly enough the internment orders only applied to Japanese living on the West Coast of the continental United States and Canada, but did not apply to those Japanese who lived in Hawaii, the part of the United States that was actually attacked. | ||
Revision as of 13:13, 20 March 2010
The Japanese American internment refers to the period of time from February 1942 to the end of World War II when 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were moved to ten "relocation camps" in the western United States. Ostensibly, these camps were to remove the threat of Japanese espionage agents on the west coast of the United States. However, many commentators have raised questions about the effectiveness of such a program, preferring to call the relocation a racist swipe against Japanese-Americans. 62% of the internees were United States citizens, the rest being resident aliens on United States soil. Several hundred internees were of German and Italian ancestry as well. However these internees were actually citizens of their respective countries or members of organizations such as the Germans-American Bund which featured an American fuhrer so these internees are not comparable to their Japanese counterparts, as their internment was fueled by Racism, which Italians and Germans did not experience (or at least not as much as Japanese-Americans). There was also a less well known (at least in the US) internment of Japanese Canadians, especially those living in British Columbia.[1]
The prevailing attitude in the United States is that the camps were unjustified and racist, a result of "wartime hysteria". This viewpoint is affirmed by Article I, Section 9 (guaranteeing the writ of habeas corpus), and the Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution (which states that no person shall "be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law").
Others point to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 as justification for the relocation (despite the law applying only to resident aliens, which doesn't justify imprisoning several thousand Nisei American Citizens), and cite Abraham Lincoln's suspension of habeas corpus during the American Civil War.
Michelle Malkin wrote a lovely anthology of how to use logical fallacies pro-internment book, called In Defense of Internment: The Case for 'Racial Profiling' in World War II and the War on Terror. It talks about a few specific cases of disloyalty by Japanese-Americans, which is then used as justification for detaining all of them based on race. Ironically if she had been alive in the United States during WW2 she would have been interned as close enough.
Oddly enough the internment orders only applied to Japanese living on the West Coast of the continental United States and Canada, but did not apply to those Japanese who lived in Hawaii, the part of the United States that was actually attacked.
Another reason it was dumb
Perhaps the saddest irony of the whole thing was the fact that Japanese-American men of military age were permitted to and actually encouraged to enlist in the United States military. Partially they did it in order to get out of the camps, but also many felt the need to prove their loyalty to the United States. In fact, the 442nd Infantry Regiment was almost entirely composed of Japanese-Americans. The 442nd was deployed to Europe, seeing combat in Italy, southern France, and Germany (even helping to liberate the Dachau concentration camp). The unit was the most decorated unit of any during the war, with soldiers earning, amongst other decorations, 7 Presidential Unit Citations, 21 Congressional Medals of Honor, and 9,486 Purple Hearts.[1] Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye was a member of this unit.[1][2]
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, Jon Matsune, Suite101.com, 8 August 2009
- ↑ Who Is Dan?, inouye.senate.gov