The Pros And Cons Of Japanese Internment

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Charles Evan Hughes, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1930-1941, said: You may think that the Constitution is your security - it is nothing but a piece of paper. You may think that the statutes are your security - they are nothing but words in a book. You may think that elaborate mechanism of government is your security - it is nothing at all, unless you have sound and uncorrupted public opinion to give life to your Constitution, to give vitality to your statutes, to make efficient your government machinery. (Brown) The Constitution guarantees that no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without being taken to court for a fair trial, but that means nothing if the people are not willing to uphold it (Fifth Amendment). …show more content…

This is not the case. Before the war began, most average Americans mixed amicably with the Japanese. The group who had the most trouble with the Japanese was the politicians. Governor William D. Stephens of California said that the “present agitation in California was inspired by candidacy for office” (Kawakami). The reasons the politicians did this was to gain favor and promotion in their offices. Prior to Pearl Harbor, the politicians caused trouble and planted doubt and fear into American minds. The majority of Americans had never had any contact with Japanese, it was only on the West Coast, so politicians from each political party tried to convince Americans that the whole country was in danger. To take the focus away from the Great Depression and suffering of the 1930’s, many politicians tried this tactic to gain votes. They were pressured by the public to bring about a change in America, and they knew that someone who promised an answer would become more powerful. One of the leading men behind Japanese internment was Earl Warren, the Attorney General of California in 1942. He saw the Japanese situation as the “Achilles heel of the entire civilian defense effort.” He believed that unless the government took action, “it may bring about a repetition of Pearl Harbor” (Myer 17). His justification for his choice was that in a time of war, every citizen may have to give up some of his rights to protect the nation (Brown). He believed that the Japanese were exemplary citizens, but he still chose to push for their internment. This seems contradictory, but it shows the flow of public opinion and the pressure that was put on leaders to promote

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