Japanese Internment Camps in America

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Article two of the constitution states that everyone is entitled to all rights and, “freedoms… without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin…birth of status.” Because of the many articles similar to this in the constitution, the United States has a reputation for being a nation of democracy, justice and freedom, which is why it is one of the most sought out nations to live in. Therefore, The United States has been flooded and with a spectrum of races from literally all over the world. However, The United States has not always lived up to the principles on which the constitution has founded. There have been several periods in America’s history where racial discrimination and oppression have run amuck. For example, America was very racist toward African Americans before integration and The Civil Movement. Although The Civil Rights Movement was a pivotal change in history and caused Americans to be more open and accepting of other races, it did not change America enough to prevent the creation of Japanese internment camps during World War II. Although America claims to be the land of equity, it is not exempt from prejudice, oppression, and discrimination as made evident through the Japanese internment camps. By learning about what happened in the Japanese internment camps and looking at what they resulted in, America can avoid making the same mistake during times of war when a certain racial group looks suspicious. During 1939-1942, when WWII was taking place, an attack bombing from Japan on the naval base of Pearl Harbor occurred, which eventually led to strong fear of espionage, terrorist attacks from Japan, prejudice and discrimination towar... ... middle of paper ... ...d look at other ways to handle the situation. America should follow the golden rule, “do unto others at you would want them to do unto you”. Works Cited (n.d.). Japanese Internment Camps. Available from Ishigo, E. (n.d.). Heart Mountain. Calisphere, http://content.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/hb6290111f/?order=2&brand=calisphere. Linkhorne Middle School, (04-09-09). Japanese Internment Camps. . PBS.Children of the internment camps. http://www.pbs.org/childofcamp/history/index.html Historyonthenet.com. http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/japan_internment_camps.htm http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation/activities.html Used Documents 296057, 296055

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