Before the Attack on Pearl Harbor, relations between The U.S. and Japan were seemingly peaceful. The U.S. and Japan were in the process of negotiating an end to sanctions and establish peace.1891, Japanese immigrants began arriving in America as laborers. The majority of these immigrants settled in California. According to nationality, Asian children were forced to attend segregated schools. In 1924, Congress passed an immigration act that effectively stopped Japanese immigrants from entering the United States. The year 1941 was also the year President Roosevelt ordered the state departments to investigate the loyalty of Japanese Americans. November 7, 1941, The Munson Report was published. The Munson Report declared that there was no Japanese "problem" on the coast, and there was no suspicion of a Japanese uprising.
December 7, 1941, Japan forces attacked the United States military base located at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Japan's attack was unexpected by the armed forces of America and left the base relatively undefended. The Japanese strategy was an invasion by means of an air raid, consisting of kamikaze pilots. The infiltration took place at 7:55am to 9:45am lasting a total of 110 minutes. This single, brief attack cost the lives of 2,335 United States airmen and 68 civilians.
Immediately following the Attack on Pearl Harbor, America began preparing for war. December 8, 1841, President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Congress and addressed the repercussions Japan would meet. In FDR's session with Congress, he declared December 7, 1941 "A date which will live in infamy". In this meeting, The U.S. Congress would announce war on Japan. War on Japan, however, did not bring the nation together but instead divided it. On one side, there was a surge of American patriotism and nationalism. On the other side, people were concerned about another attack. February 19, 1942, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. Executive Order 9066 authorized the exclusion of any civilian from any area from the right to a trial or hearing. The Act also permitted that all Japanese- Americans were to be evacuated from the West Coast. This affected approximately 120,000 people, many of which were legal American citizens. Executive Order 9066 was a clear violation of constitutional rights.
Internment Camps created in the U.S. at the time of WWII are still surrounded by controversy. Internment is the action of putting a person in prison or some other kind of detention, particular during a time of war for the purpose of "national security". Recently President Trump spoke about the Internment Camps suggesting that detention was "harsh but necessary". However, according to Time, "most believe the implication of internment camps during WWII were justified and agree the government offered its good-faith defense of detention."
Hatmaker, Alicia. "America Enters The War." Athens Drive High School. Lecture.
Hatmaker, Alicia. "Japanese Internment ." 30 Nov. 2017, Athens Drive High School. Lecture.
The Debate Over Japanese Internment Is Deeply Flawed. 21 Nov. 2016, time.com/
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