-
-
Internees lived in overcrowded barracks with poor insulation and limited resources. Despite these hardships, they built schools, worked on farms, and created community newspapers and events to survive daily life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VkrqrjyIwk -
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the U.S. military to remove anyone deemed a threat from military zones. This marked the official start of Japanese American internment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-iVxs2xuYc -
The U.S. government created the War Relocation Authority to manage the removal, transport, and incarceration of Japanese Americans. The WRA would oversee 10 camps across the country. -
Manzanar, located in California, became one of the first operational internment camps. Over 10,000 Japanese Americans were eventually relocated there under harsh living conditions. -
The Western Defense Command began issuing exclusion orders forcing Japanese Americans to evacuate their homes, mainly along the West Coast. These notices were posted on walls and telephone poles in public areas. -
Thousands of Japanese Americans were moved to ten permanent camps across seven states, such as Heart Mountain, Tule Lake, and Poston. Camps were surrounded by barbed wire and guarded by armed soldiers. -
Temporary “assembly centers” were created at racetracks and fairgrounds, including Santa Anita and Tanforan. Families lived in converted horse stalls while awaiting transfer to permanent camps. -
The U.S. government issued a loyalty questionnaire to internees. Questions 27 and 28 asked about allegiance and military service. Those who answered “No” to both were labeled disloyal and sent to Tule Lake.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rPhCiHLUK4 -
Fred Korematsu challenged the legality of internment, arguing it violated his constitutional rights. The Supreme Court upheld internment as a wartime necessity a ruling later recognized as unjust.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3iKzovr9nI -
Following Japan’s surrender, camps began to close. Internees were released but returned to find their homes and businesses gone. Tule Lake, the last camp, closed on March 20, 1946.