Japanese Internment Camps - Research Paper Example

? inserts His/her inserts inserts Grade   Japanese Internment Camps The Japanese internment camps had their origin in 1941 after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. It was after a rallying cry on the government to take action against the Japanese who were residing in the United States at that time. Most Americans felt that the Japanese could spy for their compatriots back in Japan thereby cause more trouble for the American people. As a result, on February 19th 1942, a directive was issued by President Roosevelt which required all Japanese in America to shift their locations from their homes to the internment camps where they were to be confined (Hata and Hata 56). They were only allowed to carry very few possessions with them. In most cases, most of the Japanese had to sell their property at throw away prices as they were allowed only two days to reach the internment camps which were in different locations throughout the country. In several instances, families got separated as members went to different internment camps in the country. It is also imperative to realize that majority of the people who were forced into the internment camps were actually American citizens. Much of the support for the establishment of the internment camps was mostly fueled by fear and paranoia (HNRC 23). Most Americans were nervous after the Pearl Harbor event and were very suspicious of any foreigners on the American soil. That compelled the government to greatly safeguard the internment camps which were always under military surveillance at all times. The subject of the Japanese internment camps has been a topic of hot debates over the decades. In most cases, several opinions abound on the very essence of those camps and on whether or not they addressed the situation for which they were intended. Critically, that continues to be the subject of argument. In any case, the perspective of the arguer is very critical in the analysis of the whole concept. The core of the argument also lies on whether the camps were necessary as a military action and or whether it was a nationality issue gone sour. To begin, it is imperative to realize that prior to the Pearl Harbor, most Americans of Japanese decent were actually residing peacefully in the United States and there was no issue in connection to American security despite the war that was picking up in the world (Randal 12). The trigger of the whole imbroglio was the attack on the Harbor which certainly left many Americans confused and bitter. The justification of their radical change of mind with regard to their Japanese counterparts arose out of the paranoia situation that certainly engulfed the country. In any case, this was a very critical time and Americans were just being democratic by addressing their right of security. History is awash with several instances where spies have caused more trouble than was expected. In the American case, there idea to confine the Japanese was therefore a timely decision considering the world events at that time. In the period of the WWII it was clear that the Axis powers were basically fighting to capture the whole world under their control while the Allied powers were rooting for global peace. With such an evil mindset on the Japanese leaders, there was a need to carefully address the Japanese situation in the United States. Moreover, the general trend at that time was the possibility of a long period of war which could involve the United States. The role of the military is basically to safeguard the country’s borders in whatever respect as may deem necessary. Therefore the decision to create the internment camps should always be addressed from the perspective of United State’s security which was certainly at risk in that period. It is known that in critical situations very radical decisions are normally the order of the day. Inasmuch as counter opinions arise against the internment of the Japanese, it is important to come to terms with the realities of that time. Any rational mind would have supported the confinement of the Japanese into the camps after an evidence of the manner in which Japan was getting out of proportion in the East. It is easy to dismiss the whole idea as misguided considering that most of internees were basically American citizens (Viillanueva 89). However, certain situations never create the opportunity to take chances and this case presented an ideal example. The whole issue garnered much opposition on the account that race differences had always existed between the Americans and the Japanese and the confinement camps were just a tip of the iceberg. Well, in a way, that consolation holds water considering that the Germans in the United States were not confined yet Germany was also a threat to the US. Whatever the case, it is important to realize that Japan had directly attacked the United States, a decision which they had obviously taken after evaluating their possibility of winning a war against the United States. To defeat the United States, they needed many strategies in place and perhaps they had planted spies within the Japanese population in the United States. Since the United States’ military could not easily identify the spies, the most immediate decision at that time was to confine all Japanese in the camps without regard to their nationality (Taylor 45-8). Moreover, choosing to eliminate the Americans of Japanese descent from the confinement camps would have proved difficult at that time than it could appear today. On the contrary, it is critical to realize that major purpose of the internment camps was not addressed sufficiently. It is estimated that two-thirds of all the Japanese who were confined into the internment camps were actually American citizens. Considering the patriotism that Americans always hold for their country, it was certainly wrong to assume that these fellow Americans could pose a security threat against the United States. The American system of education instills into the learners the virtues of patriotism and nationality and since most of those Americans of Japanese descent had been educated in the United States, it was virtually a misguided opinion to imagine that they could become spies against their dear country (Hakim 76). In essence, there had always existed a simmering rivalry between America and Japan on the race basis and that can never be taken for granted. The military action against the Japanese had no basis at all and was basically fueled by the hitherto existing racial antagonism between the United States and Japan (Connel 67). Not a single case of disloyalty had ever been reported from these citizens. Most of them had basically been born in the United States and had raised their children without any connection to their Japanese heritage. As such, a radical decision to confine the Japanese into the internment camps was certainly a manifestation of a missing link in the American identity. To prove the case in point, several Germans were residing in the United States throughout the period yet Germany was a sworn enemy to the United States at that time. However, there was never a directive to treat the Germans in the same manner the Japanese had been treated in the United States. In a way, it seems that the establishment of the ten internment camps in the US land is indeed one of the darkest eras in the precious American history. Not much satisfaction and justification can be attributed to that misinformed decision that only led to the mistreatment of fellow Americans in their own land (Klancy 77-79). The United States proud itself to be a great democracy and indeed, it can be argued so on comparative grounds. Every citizen in the United States has the right to be brought to a court of law on the suspicion of them having committed an offence. This basic right was never exercised in the case of internees. Moreover the basic concern of the United States government at that time should have been the protection of its borders and not grappling with unnecessary internal affairs that only served to spoil the dignity of the United States in the international spectrum (Drinnon 34-43). The dehumanizing conditions in the internment camps were a clear case that the government was indeed meting out unnecessary punishment on its own citizens. There was no sufficient food and medical facilities and many of the internees died in the camps. It clearly illuminates the fact that the whole issue was never a security affair but boiled down to a nationality bias against people of Japanese origin. If the government had been keen and serious against its commitment to uphold democracy and humanity, it could never heed to the demands of those who felt that the Japanese could turn into spies against the United States. It is also dehumanizing that the liberty of the internees to own properly was infringed upon since they were not supposed to carry property into the internment camps. Most of them lost millions of dollars worth in property which mostly went to looters and speculators. From all indications, it appears that the whole motive behind the internment camps was basically driven by racism and public hysteria. The government’s lame excuse on the existence of anti-American saboteurs amongst the Americans of Japanese pedigree was not appropriate at all. In any case, the existence of such groups could not have necessitated such inappropriate treatment against innocent masses. More surprisingly, in most of the camps, the populations mostly comprised of women and children who could in no way pose any danger to American security. The military intelligence and might of the United States at that time was sufficient enough to locate any dissidents and spies amongst the American population. Blind generalizations of all the Japanese as spies could certainly prove that a hidden motive surrounded the whole agenda. The financial implications of the establishment of the internment camps were indeed very high much to the dissatisfaction of many Americans considering that it was a totally unnecessary expense. The camps were established as military barracks and were never used after the end of the period. This translated to wastage of resources that could have been used elsewhere. In addition, the government was responsible for feeding all the internees for the whole timeframe in which they were held under bondage in the camps. Although some of these people could actually feed themselves, they were never allowed by the military that guarded them in the camps. On the total scorecard, it can be argued that the whole internment agenda was basically the product of a racial mix which had grown out of proportion. It was intentionally driven by malice and racism but sadly enough, the government never bothered to realize. Its implications were even more severe as people held very negative opinions against the Americans. Sure enough, it is a period for which the conscious American will never be proud of. Works cited Center, Hirasaki National Resource. "Japanese American in America's Wars: A Chronology." Japanese American National Museum Vol.2.No.3 (2010): pp 23-9. Connel, Thomas. America's Japanese Hostages . London : Douglas & Co., 2004. Drinnon, Richard. Keeper of concentration Camps: Dillon S. Meyer and American Racism . Berkeley: University of California Press, 2007. Hakim, Joy. A History of US: War, Peace and all that Jazz. New York: Oxford University Press, 2007. Hata, Donald T and Nadine Hata. Japanese Americans and World War II: Mass Removal, Imprrosonment,and Redress. Illinois: Harlan Davidson,Inc.Print, 2008. Klancy, Clark. The Incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2004. Randal, Vernelia. "Internment of Japanese Americans in Concentration Camps." Race, Racism and American Law Vol.3.No.2 (2010): pp 12. Taylor, Sandra. Japanese Americans from Relocation to Redress. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2007. Viillanueva, Ricco. Japanese Internment in WWII. New York: Pearson Publishers, 2007. Read More