The relocation and internment of Americans, during World War II, serves as a reminder of how civil liberties can be compromised in times of national crisis. Triggered by the hateful sentiments toward the Japanese that arose after the Pearl Harbor attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed and issued Executive Order 9066, which allowed for the mass confinement of around 120,000 Japanese individuals, mostly American citizens. This decision, supposedly made in the name of security, tore families from their homes, deprived them of their belongings, and subjected them to horrible conditions in containment camps. The lasting effects of this ordeal went beyond just the suffering, which caused deep emotional scars and left a legacy of injustice and trauma within the Japanese American …show more content…
This degradation can be aptly portrayed in the postwar paper produced by the U.S. War Production Board in 1942 (document A). The poster is entitled "All earmarks of a tricky Jap, don't talk about your business!" which confirms the stereotype and animosity towards Japanese Americans, ended up directly leading to the discriminative treatment they experienced, ultimately resulting in their internment. In addition, pictures taken by Clem Albers in April 1994 (Document F), also provide us with visual evidence of the poor conditions lived in during the internment. Looking at images of assembly centers with very little space or at Manzanar where the people lived in the so-called barracks, crammed together, we see the loss of dignity and autonomy experienced by Japanese Americans. Combined, they all constitute a painful testimonial of the degrading treatment received by Japanese Americans during World War II, convicting the internment in the erosion of Japanese