Japanese American Internment

In her report “Japanese American Internment During WWII”, Heather Steven explains how “those in the camps showed their loyalty to the United Sates by assisting in the war effort” (2). While in the camps Japanese Americans were assigned to making uniforms and parachutes for the troops. Others grew and canned food that was also sent to the troops (Steven).Overtime interned citizens were released from these internment camps, provided that they did not return to the West Coast (Robinson). Before entering the internment camps, many Japanese Americans had been land, business, and home owners, but left the camps with nothing. These Japanese American citizens didn’t receive “substantial reparations” for all that they had lost (Steven). Although the
I am grateful to the government for gathering us in such a nice place. If I am helping the government by staying here I am glad. I want so much to be of use to the government.”
Another internee, Louise Ogawa wrote:
Dear Miss Breed,
I may have complained about my new environment, but I know it will be difficult to adapt to myself to the new surroundings right away. I am sure everything will brighten up soon… When I stop to think how the Pilgrims started their life, similar to ours, it makes me feel grand for it gives me the feeling of being a pure full-blooded American
(Dear Miss Breed). Despite being evacuated from their homes, communities, and schools, these young adults were able to find positivity in their situation. Although American government had labeled them as “untrustworthy”, they remained loyal to the United States, and hoped that they would be accepted as “full-blooded
In 1980 President Jimmy Carter appointed a committee to investigate the internment during World War II. The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians found the internment to be unjust. The committee’s report “Personal Justice Denied” concluded that “Japanese Americans were put into internment camps not because they were a legitimate threat to national security, but because they were victims of racial prejudice” (Steven 11). The committee’s report also stated that the surviving internees deserved an official apology and financial reparations for their hardship and injustice. It wasn’t until August 10th of 1988 when President Ronald Raegan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, that each of the 60,000 survivors were offered $20,000 in reparations (Steven