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The Japanese-American Internment

The Japanese ImperialNavy launched a surpriseattack on the United Stateson December 7, 1941. In twoair strikes, Japanese planesbombed the Pearl HarborNaval Base, in Hawaii,killing more than two thou-sand people. World War IIwas already raging in otherparts of the world, but theUnited States had notentered the war. Until then.

Forced EvacuationThe United States military

declared the West Coast amilitary zone and forcedJapanese and Japanese Americansliving on California’s coast to evacuate.They said they had to do this becausesome of these people might be spies forJapan. They said it would help them dis-cover Japanese spies. They said it wasfor the Japanese Americans’ personalsafety. And they said it had nothing todo with racial discrimination. Not every-one agreed.

Most of the thousands of Japanesenationals cooperated, packing up afew of their belongings and reportingto places like the Santa Anita horserac-ing track, near Los Angeles, California.People slept in horse stalls while theywaited to be transported by the militaryto “camps” away from the coast. Menwent first in order to construct the camps,which were like small towns with barbershops, hospitals, schools, and a recre-ation center every forty-eight blocks.

Protecting Citizen’s RightsThe people of the United States were

so angry with Japan for its actions thatmany thought this evacuation, calledinternment because it was forced con-finement during time of war, was neces-sary. But members of two groups—theQuakers and the American Civil LibertiesUnion—spoke out against the internmentas a violation of U. S. citizens’ constitu-tional right of personal freedom.

Freedom at LastInterned Japanese Americans were

allowed to return home in 1944, a fewmonths after the end of World War II.In 1948, the government paid them tencents for every dollar they had lost whenthey were forced to leave their homes,their belongings, and their jobs. Thedescendents of the Japanese Americanswho were interned during World War IIreceived $20,000 under the Civil LibertiesAct of 1988. Some people wonder if thesepayments, called restitution, even beginto make up what was lost. ■

Mess line, noon, Manzanar Relocation Center, California