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japanese internment in canada
japanese internment in canada
japanese internment in canada
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The Japanese-Canadian World War II Experience (Website)
http://japanese-canadians.weebly.com/
Note to Mr. Mungar
To communicate the contributions of Japanese-Canadians during the Second World War, I invented a character named Akira to illustrate the experiences of an average Japanese person growing up in Canada.
Introduction: Early Japanese Immigrants to Canada
Japanese people have had a very vivid history in Canada. Before 1868, it was illegal for Japanese citizens to leave the country, but with a change in government in the 1870s, they were encouraged to travel overseas to earn money and learn skills that they could bring home, as Japan in the early 20th century did not hold a lot of opportunity, especially in rural areas. In many cases, they were barely making a living, struggling with famine and disease.
Who were the Japanese immigrants?
In the late 1870s, thousands of Japanese people came to Canada as fishermen, farmers, lumber mill workers, and businessmen. They were mainly young men in their teens. Some followed their fathers, had dreams of fortune and success in the new lands, or were desperate to escape the oppressive poverty in Japan. Many were known as draft dodgers, meaning that they were deliberately avoiding the two years of military service in Japan, made mandatory to all males once they reached the age of 20.
Akira's father was part of the issei, or the first generation Japanese immigrants. He immigrated to Stevenston, British Columbia, and began working hard for long hours as a fisherman. In fact, the Japanese immigrants' talent for fishing was quickly recognized, putting them in high demand. They were paid less than the average white Canadian. Akira's mother immigrated to Canada in 1911. Japane...
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...s not for the thousands of Japanese people who came, and the thousands of Japanese who stayed, the presence of Japanese culture would not be embedded with Canadian history at all. Despite the voluntary deportation and rapid dispersal of Japanese-Canadians throughout Canada, their legacy still lives on.
Works Cited
Daubs, Katie. "Walking the Western Front - from war hero to enemy alien and back again | Toronto
Star." thestar.com. The Toronto Star, 12 May 2014. Web. 14 May 2014. .
Hickman, Pamela, and Masako Fukawa. Japanese Canadian internment in the Second World War.
Toronto: James Lorimer and Co., 2011. Print.
Taylor, Mary. A Black Mark: The Japanese-Canadians in World War II. Ottawa: Oberon Press, 2004. Print.
Matsumoto studies three generations, Issei, Nisei, and Sansei living in a closely linked ethnic community. She focuses her studies in the Japanese immigration experiences during the time when many Americans were scared with the influx of immigrants from Asia. The book shows a vivid picture of how Cortex Japanese endured violence, discriminations during Anti-Asian legislation and prejudice in 1920s, the Great Depression of 1930s, and the internment of 1940s. It also shows an examination of the adjustment period after the end of World War II and their return to the home place.
Okihiro, Gary Y. Whispered Silences: Japanese Americans and World War II. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1996.
The period of 1914 to 1939, Canada’s immigration policy got very unfair. Changes were made to the Immigration Act in 1914 that allowed the rejection of anyone from any race that was deemed unsuitable for Canada’s requirements. Also, in that same year, the Komagata Maru came to the coast of Vancouver. It was a ship that carried many from Punjab, India. The ship wasn’t allowed to dock and passengers weren’t allowed to disembark off the ship. The ship hadn’t sailed directly to B.C. from India so only 24 passengers were allowed to disembark; most of them were doctors or Canadian citizens already. Another act to keep out unwanted immigrants from Canada was the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1923. This act came into effect on July 1st, 1923. It banned all Chinese immigrants from entering Canada, except merchants, diplomats and foreign students. Before the Chinese Exclusion Act was put into place, the Chinese had to pay a head tax of $500 just to get into the country. The numbers of Japanese immigrants were also restricted. The Canadian government restricted only 150 Japanese immigrants to come to Canada in a year. In 1925, the government relaxed restrictions on immigrants coming from many countrie...
Myer, Dillon S. Uprooted Americans: The Japanese Americans and the War Relocation Authority During World War II. Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 1970. Print
The discrimination suffered by the “ethnic Canadians” increased during the war was inflicted by both society and the government. An example of the discrimination suffered by “ethnic Canadians” is Sarah Mann, a Canadian-German living though World War 1. Before the people of the town knew she was of German descent, she lived a normal life. But, that all changed when they found out; they vandalized her house by breaking the windows, painting harsh words in red paint or blood, which is overall person to person discrimination. However, throughout the war, it was not just the Canadian-Germans who suffered from discrimination, all ethnicities either than English-Canadian or French-Canadian. Also, they did not only receive discrimination through vandalism, and other person to person discrimination, “ethnic Canadians” faced discrimination by the Canadian government. The governments’ discrimination was caused by the pressure of frightened public experiencing panic because of the Great War. Therefore, the government took action by passing the Wartime Elections Act and the Wartime Measures Act. The Wartime Elections act meant the “ethnic Canadians” would lose their right to vote. The “ethnic Canadians” would also be put into concentration camps or have to register to the police on a regular basis. The historical significance...
After forcing 60 million deaths, World War II was a disastrous event. Anyway, it transformed Canada from a small country into a well-respected and thriving nation. Canada’s participation in the Second World War had a very significant impact on it as a Country. Canada faced many hardships however, it emerged as a different and united nation. In fact, World War II had paved a new lease of activity in the Canadian setup in aspects such as social developments, economical developments, and political developments.
The fear of Japan invading Canada in World War Two cause racism to arise in Canada. After Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941 (Bolotta et al, 2000), Canadian citizens feared the Japanese immigrants living in Canada may aid Japan in attacking. Worried about its citizens and problems that may arise, the Canadian government prevented the problem by interning Japanese Canadians. The issue with this solution was the Canadian Government was not justified in interning the Japanese Canadians. The Canadian government had no reason to intern the Japanese Canadians; it was unreasonable, unnecessary and discriminatory.
During World War II, countless Japanese Canadians, and Americans, were relocated to internment camps out of fear of where their loyalties would lie. Because of this, those people were stricken from their homes and had their lives altered forever. Joy Kogawa’s Obasan highlights this traumatic event. In this excerpt, Kogawa uses shifts in point of view and style to depict her complex attitude and perception of the past.
The tendency to racially discriminate and victimise against certain minorities or a specific nationality was a long-lasting sting of racism which was a part of Canadian history. The discrimination by Canadians directed towards Japanese-Canadians during WWII was a significant historical event that needs to be addressed. After the Pearl Harbour attacks in Hawaii by the Japanese navy, 24,000 Japanese-Canadians were placed in internment camps, where they were stripped of their identity and freedom of rights based upon their racial origin. In the aftermath of the internment, many Japanese-Canadian natives were left without life savings, as all of their belongings were confiscated and never given back. This internment of the Japanese-Canadians occurred
Have you ever wondered which events in Canadian history have been the most significant in shaping Canadian identity? Many significant events in the twentieth century left a lasting legacy for Canada. Canada would not be the culturally rich, prosperous and progressive nation that it is today, without its immigration patterns in the past. World War I (WWI) was also a significant event as it united Canada and left behind a legacy of sacrifice and national pride. Economic development during the post war period contributed to Canadian success nationally and globally. Immigration, WWI and economic development were significant events in Canadian twentieth century history. Each event brought new and powerful
Marsh, James H. "Japanese Internment: Banished and Beyond Tears." The Canadian Encyclopedia. N.p., 23 Feb. 2012. Web. 7 Jan. 2014. .
was the driving factor that ultimately resulted in the internment of the Japanese Canadians. Racial prejudice against Orientals had been around in B.C. since the 1850s when Chinese immigrants came to Canada to help with the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. A newspaper article described the Chinese as a “marvelous human machine, competent to perform the maximum of labour on the minimum of sustenance” (Adachi 42). While they were beneficial for contractors, they posed a threat to the white population (Figure 3). The cartoon suggests that the low living standards of the Chinese allowed them to endure the harshest conditions, while being satisfied with the lowest wages. In contrast, the typical European is portrayed as a civilized human being who cannot compete with the Chinese workers without sacrificing his dignity. As a result, when the Japanese started immigrating to Canada later on, the British Columbian population only saw them as another threat to their culture due to the similarities they shared with the Chinese. However, the Japanese proved to be a greater problem since they were not affected by the Head Tax imposed on the Chinese (Hickman, 33; Morton). The attack on Pearl Harbour was an excuse that finally allowed British Columbians to release the anti-Japanese sentiment that they had been suppressing for years. In addition, when the final decision to intern the Japanese Canadians was passed, the government considered them all as potential threats (Figure 4). There was no effort made to distinguish those who posed potential threats and those who did not; most of them had no connection with Japan besides for their ancestry. This can only be attributed to racism, as there are only 38 suspects out of the 22,000 internees. Similarly, selling of Japanese property was another racist act that the government claimed to be necessary for the war effort and to increase national security (Sunahara 90; “The War Years”).
22. Muller, Eric,Free to Die for Their Country: The Story of the Japanese American Draft Resisters in World War II . 2001, University Of Chicago Press; 1 edition
And to enter you would either have to be a farmer, british, or American, but that all changed by 1952, when the government brought in a new immigration act which accepted all races, religion, beliefs and cultures to enter into their country. As you know, once you settle into a new country, it is customary to start a life which means, having a family, a job and a home. But during the war, it prevented many Canadians form having a child since there were limited jobs and homes, which made it hard to provide an income to support their family. But after the war had ended, everything went suddenly right. Thousands of young men returned home to return back to their jobs and start a family. By 1950, its population went up by nearly 30% due to young people having a lot of babies which resulted in the “Baby Boom”. As new young families began to emerge, they started purchasing cars, homes and furniture and things they have ever wanted but could not during the war. Companies started manufacturing family necessities and people who needed jobs could come and help manufacture these products, and the baby boom was one of Canada’s producers that accelerated
Canada has continuously served as a home to immigrants and refugees from decade to decade harbouring people from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. The first set of immigrants to settle in the country came from Britain, the United States and from other nationalities mostly including immigrants from Europe who were either desperate to escape from religious or political turmoil or were simply attracted to Canada’s economic promise. Soon after the Canadian confederation in 1867, immigrants from Irish and Chinese backgrounds who occupied most of the country were used as workers and the demand for labourers to develop the country increased rapidly as more Chinese descents were imported to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. Although, Canada opened its doors to immigrants, but the country also intended to gain human resources for work in the farms, in the forests, factories and mines but not everyone was equally welcomed in Canada.