USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE UNITED STATES IN WORLD WAR I

[SOURCES]
What happened to Japanese Americans during World War II?

(A) They were executed

(B) ** They were placed in internment camps

(C) They were forced to serve in the military

(D) They were deported from the U.S.

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -Virtually all Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes and property and live in camps for most of the war. The government cited national security as justification for this policy although it violated many of the most essential constitutional rights of Japanese Americans.

Concept note-2: -Internees lived in uninsulated barracks furnished only with cots and coal-burning stoves. Residents used common bathroom and laundry facilities, but hot water was usually limited. The camps were surrounded by barbed-wire fences patrolled by armed guards who had instructions to shoot anyone who tried to leave.

Concept note-3: -Many Americans worried that citizens of Japanese ancestry would act as spies or saboteurs for the Japanese government. Fear-not evidence-drove the U.S. to place over 127, 000 Japanese-Americans in concentration camps for the duration of WWII. Over 127, 000 United States citizens were imprisoned during World War II.

Concept note-4: -Many Japanese Americans suffered harsh treatment after leaving the internment camps. Examples include exclusion from being hired by jobs in the LA county, and being shut out by the produce industry, which was the lifeblood of many Japanese Americans prior to WWII.