Essay On Japanese Americans After Ww2

"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan." The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour US naval base left the nation reeling in shock. For the past 3 years and even before, the United States had succeeded in keeping out of the war in Europe and the Pacific. Then, all of a sudden, the country was in the throes of a second world war, one that had scarred many nations already. The war had ravaged most of Europe and the American people feared a similar fate. Many Japanese-American citizens inhabited the island of Hawaii, shared by Pearl Harbour. This coincidence led to the thought that the Japanese in America might

They were considered shifty and untrustworthy by the public, years would pass before the paranoia subsided. The majority of American citizens agreed with the view expressed by US General, John DeWitt when he stated “A Jap’s a Jap. They are dangerous element, whether loyal or not.” The fact that most of the former internees were natural citizens or had moved to the US at a young age meant nothing. The country had been attacked, and like a wounded animal, the element of fear could not be removed from society easily. The fear was hammered into their minds by gossip and the media. In a naval officer’s report he claimed that people were cautious “because of the physical characteristics of the people.” When the Japanese returned to their homes after the war, they found their property had been seized because unpaid taxes or by other means. One can imagine the difficulty experienced in melding back into a society brainwashed with the idea that you were a threat to domestic security, The hardship in becoming a normal element of American society again was not a challenge overcome quickly. On another perspective, who is to say that it has been completely overcome at