#OnThisDate February 19, 1942: Internment's Injustice

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President Franklin D. Roosevelt Signed Executive Order 9066, Authorizing The Forced Relocation And Internment Of Over 120,000 Japanese Americans During World War II. This Decision, Driven By Wartime Hysteria And Racial Prejudice, Remains A Dark Chapter In American History.

Following The Attack On Pearl Harbor On December 7, 1941, Fear And Suspicion Toward Japanese Americans Escalated. Despite A Lack Of Concrete Evidence, Concerns About Espionage And Sabotage Led To Calls For Action Against This Community. Lieutenant General John L. Dewitt, Head Of The Western Defense Command, Was A Prominent Advocate For The Removal Of Japanese Americans From The West Coast.

President Roosevelt, Influenced By Military Advisors And Public Sentiment, Signed Executive Order 9066 On February 19, 1942. The Order Granted The Secretary Of War And Military Commanders The Authority To Designate Military Areas And Exclude Any Persons From Them. While The Order Did Not Specify Ethnic Groups, It Was Primarily Used To Target Japanese Americans.

The Western Defense Command, Under General Dewitt, Established Military Area No. 1, Encompassing The Western Portions Of California, Oregon, Washington, And Arizona. By March 29, 1942, Public Proclamation No. 4 Mandated The Evacuation Of All Persons Of Japanese Ancestry From This Area. Individuals Were Given As Little As 48 Hours To Dispose Of Their Property And Report To Assembly Centers.

Temporary Assembly Centers, Often Located At Fairgrounds And Racetracks, Housed Evacuees Before Their Transfer To More Permanent War Relocation Authority Camps. Notable Camps Included Manzanar In California, Tule Lake In California, And Heart Mountain In Wyoming. Conditions Were Harsh, With Families Living In Cramped Barracks Surrounded By Barbed Wire And Guard Towers.

The Internment Faced Legal Challenges, Most Notably In Korematsu V. United States (1944). Fred Korematsu Defied The Evacuation Orders And Was Arrested. The Supreme Court, In A Controversial Decision, Upheld The Constitutionality Of The Internment, Citing Military Necessity. Decades Later, This Decision Was Widely Criticized And Formally Denounced.

The Internment Policy Began To Wane As The War Drew To A Close. In December 1944, The Supreme Court’s Decision In Ex Parte Endo Ruled That Loyal Citizens Could Not Be Detained, Leading To The Reopening Of The West Coast For Japanese Americans On January 2, 1945. Many Returned To Find Their Homes And Businesses Lost Or Destroyed.

In 1980, The Commission On Wartime Relocation And Internment Of Civilians Was Established To Investigate The Internment. Its 1983 Report Concluded That The Internment Was A Result Of "Racial Prejudice, Wartime Hysteria, And A Failure Of Political Leadership." This Led To The Civil Liberties Act Of 1988, Signed By President Ronald Reagan, Which Offered A Formal Apology And $20,000 In Reparations To Each Surviving Internee.

Executive Order 9066 Serves As A Stark Reminder Of The Consequences Of Allowing Fear And Prejudice To Override Civil Liberties. It Underscores The Importance Of Vigilance In Protecting The Rights Of All Individuals, Especially During Times Of National Crisis.

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