Japanese Internment during WW II

Summary

The script recounts the dark chapter of Japanese American internment during WWII, beginning with FDR's Executive Order 9066. It details the forced relocation, loss of property, and the legal battle led by Fred Korematsu challenging the order's constitutionality. Despite initial Supreme Court validation, Korematsu's conviction was later vacated, and the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 offered an official apology and reparations, highlighting a critical examination of wartime civil rights.

Takeaways

• 🇺🇸 FDR was in his third term as president when WWII began, and he had already led the nation through the Great Depression, making him very powerful.
• 📜 Executive Order 9066, signed by FDR on February 19, 1942, gave the military authority to designate zones and remove people deemed necessary without due process.
• 🏛️ Congress supported Executive Order 9066 with Public Law 503, which allowed the military to impose restrictions on anyone they deemed a threat, without specifically naming any race or ethnic group.
• 📹 News reels from the time portrayed the evacuation of Japanese Americans with a tone of fear and contempt, often failing to mention that two-thirds were American citizens.
• 🛍️ The evacuation process led to significant property loss and theft, as people were forced to sell their belongings at drastically reduced prices or abandon them.
• 🔒 The internment was not voluntary; it was enforced by law, and those affected had to leave their properties and livelihoods behind with little notice.
• 🛤️ Internees were transported to assembly centers and then to internment camps, often in harsh and isolated conditions, where they had to build necessary facilities themselves.
• 🏰 The internment camps were located in remote areas, with some of the largest being Hart Mountain, Poston, and Tuli Lake, the latter housing those with questioned loyalty.
• 🚫 Fred Korematsu defied the evacuation order and was arrested, leading to a legal battle that reached the Supreme Court, which upheld the constitutionality of the internment order.
• 🏛️ The Supreme Court's decision was controversial, with some justices dissenting, arguing that the internment was racially motivated and lacked military necessity.
• 🏡 After the war, returning Japanese Americans faced challenges, including hostility and the destruction of their farms, and it took decades for some, like Korematsu, to clear their names.
• 💼 In 1988, the Civil Liberties Act was passed, offering an official apology and reparations to survivors of the internment camps, acknowledging the injustice of the internment.

Q & A

What significant action did President Franklin D. Roosevelt take during his third term related to the War?

President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced relocation and internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

What was the main purpose of Executive Order 9066?

The main purpose of Executive Order 9066 was to give the military the authority to decide where military zones would be and who should be removed from these zones, without any hearings or due process.

How did the public law 503 relate to Executive Order 9066?

Public Law 503 followed Executive Order 9066 and provided the military with the power to impose restrictions on anyone it deemed a threat, which was primarily applied to Japanese Americans.

What was the tone of the news reels when the evacuation of Japanese Americans began on March 22, 1942?

The news reels announced the start of the evacuation with a tone that wavered between fear and contempt, often referring to the evacuees by derogatory terms.

What challenges did Japanese Americans face when they were forced to evacuate?

Japanese Americans faced challenges such as being allowed to take only what they could carry, having to make arrangements to store or sell their belongings on short notice, and experiencing theft and loss of property.

What was the role of the War Relocation Authority (WRA) in the internment of Japanese Americans?

The War Relocation Authority managed the internment camps, referred to as 'relocation centers,' where Japanese Americans were confined during the war.

How long did the internment of Japanese Americans last?

The internment lasted from May 1942 until as late as 1946 for some individuals.

What was Fred Korematsu's legal challenge against his internment?

Fred Korematsu challenged his arrest and the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066, arguing it violated the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection and the 5th Amendment's right to due process.

What was the Supreme Court's decision in the Fred Korematsu case?

The Supreme Court ruled in a 6 to 3 decision that President Roosevelt's order was constitutional, accepting the government's argument of military necessity.

How did the dissenting justices view the internment order?

Dissenting justices, such as Justice Frank Murphy and Justice Robert Jackson, believed the order was racist and lacked military necessity, and they warned against the erosion of the rule of law during wartime.

What was the outcome of the reopened Korematsu case in 1983?

In 1983, the US District Court vacated Fred Korematsu's conviction, acknowledging that the government lawyers had hidden evidence from the Supreme Court.

What action did Congress take in response to the internment of Japanese Americans?

In 1988, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act, which apologized for the internment and provided reparations to survivors of the camps, amounting to $220,000 each.

Outlines

00:00

🏛️ Executive Order 9066 and Japanese American Internment

This paragraph discusses the historical context of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It details the unprecedented powers granted to the military to decide who was a threat without due process. The summary explains how this order was supported by Congress and public law 503, leading to the establishment of military zones and the forced evacuation of Japanese Americans from their homes. It also touches on the public's reaction, the hardships faced by those affected, and the long-term impact on the Japanese American community.

05:03

📜 The Legal Battle and Internment Conditions

This paragraph delves into the legal challenges faced by Fred Korematsu, who defied the internment order and took his case to the Supreme Court. It outlines the arguments presented by both Korematsu's attorneys and the government's legal team, highlighting the Supreme Court's controversial decision that upheld the constitutionality of Executive Order 9066. The summary also describes the harsh conditions in the internment camps, the sense of injustice felt by the interned Japanese Americans, and the dissenting opinions of Justices Murphy and Roberts, who questioned the racial motivations behind the order and the lack of evidence supporting it.

10:03

🏡 Post-Internment Struggles and Redress

The final paragraph focuses on the aftermath of the internment, including the challenges faced by Japanese Americans as they returned to their communities and the efforts to clear the names of those wrongfully interned. It recounts Fred Korematsu's successful legal battle to vacate his conviction decades later, with the help of new evidence and a team of lawyers. The summary also mentions the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which offered an official apology and reparations to survivors of the internment camps, and the broader implications of the case for civil rights and the rule of law in the United States.

Keywords

💡FDR

FDR stands for Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States who served during the Great Depression and World War II. His role is central to the video's theme as he signed Executive Order 9066, which led to the internment of Japanese Americans.

💡Executive Order 9066

This order, signed by FDR, authorized the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. It is a key concept in the video as it represents the legal basis for a significant civil rights violation and is directly tied to the video's exploration of racial discrimination and government power.

💡Internment

Internment refers to the forced relocation and detention of people, in this case, Japanese Americans, without trial during World War II. The video discusses the internment as a focal point of the narrative, illustrating the human rights abuses and the impact on the lives of those interned.

💡War Relocation Authority (WRA)

The WRA was the government agency responsible for the administration of the internment camps. The video mentions it to explain the bureaucratic structure that facilitated the internment process, highlighting the role of government institutions in executing controversial policies.

💡Racial Discrimination

Racial discrimination is the unfair treatment of individuals based on their race. The video's theme heavily revolves around this concept, as it discusses the targeting of Japanese Americans for internment solely based on their ethnicity, which was a clear case of racial profiling and discrimination.

💡Due Process

Due process is a legal principle that ensures fair treatment and procedures in legal matters. The video points out the absence of due process for Japanese Americans during internment, emphasizing a critical aspect of the civil rights violation that occurred.

💡Supreme Court Case - Korematsu v. United States

This is a landmark Supreme Court case that upheld the constitutionality of the internment order. The video discusses the case to illustrate the legal justification for the internment and the subsequent impact on civil liberties and racial equality in the United States.

💡Civil Liberties Act of 1988

This act was passed by the U.S. Congress to apologize for the internment of Japanese Americans and to provide reparations to survivors. The video mentions it as a form of redress and an acknowledgment of the injustices committed, reflecting a key part of the narrative on reconciliation and justice.

💡Redress

Redress refers to the act of correcting a wrong or providing compensation for a grievance. The video discusses the concept in the context of the Civil Liberties Act, which provided financial compensation to survivors as a form of redress for the internment.

💡Loyalty

Loyalty in the video is discussed in the context of the perceived disloyalty of Japanese Americans, which was used as a rationale for their internment. It is a key theme as it explores the false assumptions and stereotypes that led to the internment and the subsequent efforts by Japanese Americans to prove their loyalty to the United States.

💡Fred Korematsu

Fred Korematsu was a civil rights activist who fought against his internment and the internment policy itself. The video uses his story as an example of resistance and the struggle for justice, highlighting his legal battle and the eventual exoneration of his case.

Highlights

FDR's unprecedented power during his third term as president, guiding the nation through the Great Depression and signing Executive Order 9066.

Executive Order 9066 granted the military power over the Attorney General to make decisions without due process, a significant expansion of presidential authority.

Congress's support for Executive Order 9066 through Public Law 503, allowing the military to impose restrictions on anyone deemed a threat.

The military's imposition of curfews and restrictions on Japanese descent, leading to the evacuation of 120,000 people without specific mention of race or ethnic group.

The forced evacuation of Japanese Americans began on March 22, 1942, with news reels reflecting a tone of fear and contempt.

The loss and theft faced by Japanese Americans, who were allowed to take only what they could carry to the camps.

The significant property losses suffered by Japanese Americans, with examples of undervalued sales and assets left behind.

The internment process, which took 18 months and involved assembly centers with rough conditions and permanent internment camps.

Internment camps' harsh environments, including deserts and swamps, and the lack of basic facilities that had to be built by the internees themselves.

The government's claim that internment was for 'protection', contradicted by the direction of machine gun barrels pointing inward.

Fred Korematsu's defiance of the evacuation order, leading to his arrest and subsequent legal battle against internment.

The Supreme Court's controversial decision in Korematsu v. United States, upholding the constitutionality of the internment order.

Dissenting opinions in the Supreme Court case, highlighting the racial discrimination and lack of military necessity for the internment.

The closing of internment camps and the challenges faced by Japanese Americans returning home, including hostility and property destruction.

Fred Korematsu's 40-year fight to clear his name, culminating in the vacating of his conviction based on hidden evidence by government lawyers.

The Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which apologized for the internment and provided reparations to survivors, sponsored by Congressman Norman Mineta.

Transcripts

FDR was in his third term as president

when the War Began he had guided the

nation through the Great Depression no

president was ever more powerful on

February 19th 1942 FDR signed Executive

Order

9066 9066 put the Secretary of War and

his commanders in charge of deciding

where the military zones would be and

who should be removed it gave the

military power over the Attorney General

to make these decisions without any any

hearings or due process this was

unprecedented power for president even

for FDR he asked Congress to support

Executive Order

9066 and it did Congress followed that

with public law

503 which then gave it power the laws

did not specifically name any race or

ethnic group but allowed the military to

impose restrictions on anyone it deemed

a threat but everyone knew who would be

targeted military areas were created and

at first curfews and other restrictions

were imposed on everyone of Japanese

desent when the evacuation began on

March 22nd

1942 news reels announced its start with

a tone wavering between fear and

contempt this one called out they go

never mentions that 2third of the

evacuees were American citizens but

refers to them by a word we'd never use

today Japs evacuate vital West Coast

areas for the national security at Los

Angeles 36,000 Japs see the handwriting

on the wall and sell out their goods

before their voluntary departure the

evacuation wasn't voluntary it was the

law and before it even began came Mayhem

theft and loss people were only allowed

to take to the camps what they could

carry on their backs they had to make

arrangements to store or get rid of

everything else they owned on short

notice the lucky ones got two weeks some

only a few days most Japanese Americans

had to leave their properties behind

there's lots of incidents when you know

they were cheated or they weren't given

full value for their property there were

a lot of fire sales that happened so

they had tremendous losses a

congressional report 40 years later

detailed some of the loss one proprietor

had to sell her 26 room hotel for only

$500 refrigerators were extorted for $5

or less one man poured gas lean on his

house determined to burn it down rather

than leave it

behind his wife stopped him saying we

are civilized people not Savages empty

streets and vacated stores stand in

Shadow and in the country the same story

abandoned

Farms all they had left were suitcases

sheets and blankets 120,000 people

babies and the elderly they were

searched some were even tagged no one

knew if they were going to be deported

or how long they would be in prison

because there were no trials no hearings

and there was no due process to inform

them they didn't know what the intention

of their government was toward them and

they didn't know what the future held

the evacuation took almost 18 months

8,000 actually moved East parts of the

country outside of the military areas to

avoid internment the whole thing took

place in stages first

evacuees were taken by buses cattle

trucks and trains to nearby assembly

centers where they would be checked in

for a few weeks before being shipped out

to the more permanent interment camps

assembly centers were often times

temporary shelters in Fair grounds and

sometimes in horse racing tracks the

conditions were exceedingly rough horse

dolls that were hastily cleaned up of

the manure and the smell and so forth

the first thing we had to do was to make

our own mattresses Norman monetta was

born in San Jose California he grew up

to be a congressman and the first

Asian-American to serve in the cabinet

he served under both President Clinton

and President Bush the idea that their

own

government thought them to be disloyal

this was a yoke of shame that was born

by the Japanese American population from

that time time on this is what we would

do to show this country uh the extent of

our loyalty John teshi was born in South

Central Los Angeles we'll give up

everything we'll sacrifice everything we

own and all of our futures and go

quietly into these camps it was

astounding people were confined in camps

at some point from May of 1942 to as

late as

1946 but at first many camps weren't

even ready sewage systems Schools winter

insulation all had to be built by the

very people who were being forced to

live there most were in the desert where

sandstorms were common others were built

on swamps and overrun by

mosquitoes all of the camps they built

were in isolated spots 10 of them

scattered throughout the American West

and a couple in Arkansas Hart Mountain

Poston and Tuli Lake were the largest

Tuli Lake also housed those whose

loyalty the government specifically

questioned the war relocation Authority

or W called them relocation centers I

remember when they would say well you're

being intered for your own protection

well as a 10 11 year old kid I knew that

if I were in here for my own protection

why are the machine guns pointing in at

us

and not out we heard this young young

man shouting and saying as I recall

something about they couldn't keep him

there that he was he was an American and

he started walking out and the guard who

was probably about 15 ft from him just

shot him in the

stomach it was a felony for anyone of

Japanese descent to live in Oakland on

the afternoon of May 30th 1942

that made 22-year-old Fred KATU a

criminal he had defied the evacuation

order to stay behind with his Italian

American girlfriend when he was arrested

on this street corner in San Leandro he

knew that the shame of interment would

be nothing compared to how his family

would react when my grandparents got

word in tanan racetrack that my father

had been arrested I know that it brought

great shame to them he was treated you

know like the plague I mean no one

wanted anything to do with him Fred

karamatsu had lost his home his job and

even his girlfriend he was outraged that

an American citizen would be treated

like this so he challenged his arrest he

tested his faith in the Constitution by

appealing his case all the way up to the

Supreme Court the KATU case lingered for

over 2 years it was finally argued

before the court over 2 days on October

11th and 12th

1944 katu's attorneys argued that

Executive Order 9066 was a violation of

the 14th amendment's guarantee of equal

protection because only citizens of

Japanese ancestry were being forced to

report to the assembly centers and the

fact that they were detained without a

hearing or a trial was a violation of

their Fifth Amendment right of due

process protecting them against the

federal

government solicitor general Charles

fahe argued the case for the United

States that in time of War the

government and especially the president

as commander-in-chief could do what was

necessary for the nation's security even

discriminate on the basis of race you

have to remember at the time of

kuramatsu Brown versus Board of

Education hasn't yet been decided

segregation is still the law of the land

the Supreme Court handed down one of its

most controversial decisions on December

18th

1944 the Supreme Court ruled in a 6 to3

decision that President Roosevelt's

order was constitutional the court said

that this is time of war and in time of

War it is um necessary to do things that

might not be permissible in time of

Peace Justice Hugo Black who later

became known as one of the Court's great

champions of civil liberties and equal

rights wrote the majority decision that

accepted the government's argument of

military necessity imagine that you're a

judge suppose you don't believe the

military but you might possibly be wrong

and if you're you're wrong what will

happen if you actually shut down a

government policy a security policy and

then there's another attack you think

some judge knows as much as general

Eisenhower so of course we must give

great difference to officials who tell

us we have a

problem we know the

situation and we need you to understand

that for justice black deference to the

military while at war was more important

than the racial nature of the internment

he wrote that KATU was not excluded from

the military area because of hostility

to him or his race he was excluded

because the country was at war with the

Japanese

empire other justices certainly didn't

see it that way Justice Frank Murphy for

the very first time ever in a supreme

court opinion used the word racism the

United States government in this order

was targeting Japanese Americans it

wasn't looking at other minority groups

at the country also was at war against

Italians Germans only the Japanese and

to Justice Murphy that clearly showed

that that order was racist Murphy also

said that there uh he couldn't see any

military necessity for this order

Justice Murphy also insisted that there

was no evidence to justify the

president's interment order and that the

majority decision in this case would

allow the president to act outside the

law Murphy made a powerful descent

presidents must be reminded that they

too are subject to the law LA and the

laww must

insist the law must always be a

b once we depart from that rule there's

no stopping it is a dangerous thing to

tell the president he can ignore the law

or to expect him to or to put him in the

position of his having to do so to save

the country also dissenting was Justice

Roberts the same Justice Roberts whose

Pearl Harbor report created so much

hysteria about Japanese spies on the

mainland by 1944 he no longer believed

the military Justice Robert says that we

have to be very skeptical about the

claims of the government in these

circumstances and we have to hold the

government to a very high standard of

justification and one has to wonder

whether Roberts didn't want to make the

same mistake a second time the third

descent was written by Justice Robert

Jackson Justice Jackson actually

referred to the precedent that the

majority was creating as a loaded weapon

and he said if we uphold

that

well that precedent will stand like a

loaded

gun ready to be picked up by someone in

the future who will use it to justify

who knows what he thought it meant that

the courts and the rule of law were

being eroded during wartime the decision

came near the end of the war Germany

surrendered about 6 months later and the

United States had turned back the

Japanese in the Pacific making a

Japanese invasion of the West Coast

Unthinkable the tides of War had changed

much more favorably to the United States

by the time the kuramatsu case came

down a month after the kuramatsu

decision the camps officially began to

close going home was the next challenge

they felt that they would be greeted

with hostile neighbors and so forth and

word also came back that many of their

Farms had in fact been destroyed torched

by people for all the fear of sabotage

that led to interment by the end of

World War II not a single person of

Japanese ancestry in the United States

had even been accused of

sabotage Fred KATU waited 40 years

before he got the chance to clear his

name he joined up with a team of young

lawyers led by Dale manami courts must

be allowed to function even during times

of Crisis and should not be subjugated

to the will of an arbitrary military

decision maker we wanted a declaration

from the courts that what Japanese

Americans uh uh did was not wrong it was

not Espionage it was not sabotage they

were not traitors normally once the

Supreme Court decides a case that's it

the case is closed but namami and his

team brought the koram matu case back to

Federal Court under a motion that is

rarely used and almost never successful

Corum nois Corum nois is a way that

someone can go into court after they've

been convicted and serve their sentence

and challenge it to say this was wrong

the facts were wrong and this court has

a duty to correct it a legal historian

named Peter irons had discovered

documents proving that government

lawyers had hidden evidence from the

Supreme Court on November 10th 1983 the

US District Court agreed Fred katu's

conviction was vacated it was thrown out

haded to do some real deep thinking in

order to reopen this case again and I am

very happy that I did because this is

not only for uh just the Japanese

American citizens but it's for All

American citizens in 1988 Congress

passed the civil liberties act which not

only apologized for the interment but

paid each survivor of the camps

$220,000 the Act was signed by President

Ronald Reagan and sponsored by

Congressman Norman manetta that's him

right