USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -After the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese aircraft on December 7, 1941, the U.S. War Department suspected that Japanese Americans might act as saboteurs or espionage agents, despite a lack of hard evidence to support that view.

Detailed explanation-2: -While there is no single correct or simple reason for the attack, this lesson should help students realize that Japan’s motivation for attacking Pearl Harbor was driven by its political self-interests, its scarcity of economic resources and perceived opportunity costs, and America’s embargo policy.

Detailed explanation-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.

Detailed explanation-4: -Japan. Japanese civilians were more likely to view the actions of Pearl Harbor as a justified reaction to the economic embargo by western countries. Not only were the Japanese more aware of the embargo’s existence, but they were also more likely to view the action as the critical point of American hostility.

Detailed explanation-5: -Despite never being charged with a crime, and without due process, Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and communities and incarcerated, simply because of their heritage. For years, many Japanese Americans lived in harsh, overcrowded conditions, surrounded by barbed wire fences and armed guards.