Japanese-American Internment

WWII

Executive Order 9066

• In 1942, 120,000 Japanese-American families receive a letter from FDR, the President of the United States– They were to be relocated from their homes

on the west coast to camps in the interior of the U.S.

• See map on next slide

Time to Pack

• They could only take a few belongings

• Forced to sell most possession

• Received about 5¢ on the $1

• Property they stored was stolen, vandalized, or sold by others– Estimate of loss $500 million

Evacuation Day

Destination: Manzanar, CA

Their New Home:

Inside the New House

Guard Watch Tower

What Prompted the Internment?

• Fear of the Japanese race– They were the enemy, even if they were

Americans

• Military believed Japanese would always be loyal to the Emperor of Japan– Commit sabotage

• Businesses believed they would profit more without competition from Japanese-American business owners

Why did FDR approve it?

• He thought he was acting for the good of all Americans– Civil rights of a small number were sacrificed

for the common good (majority)

• Did FDR make the right decision? Why or why not?