Japanese-Americans

during World War II

The International High School at Lafayette

American History
Unit 3 - Immigration and Migration
Mr. Joel
Juan, Marie, Ying
Japanese-Americans
during World War II
Population Facts:
-Japanese immigrants started to arrive in the mid-
to late 1800s, causing tensions between nativists
and Japanese-Americans in the Pacific Coast

-The Immigration Act of 1924 banned immigration

from Japan

-Today there are over 1.2 million American citizens

who claim a status as Japanese-American
Japanese-Americans
during World War II
Reasons for Immigration:
-Japan’s forced modernization policies during the
Meiji Restoration caused many agrarian Japanese
to seek new opportunities in America

-The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 led to an

increased demand for new labor sources, and
industrialists sought to replace Chinese immigrants
with Japanese laborers
 Japanese-Americans
during World War II
Life in the United States:
-Japan’s bombing of a naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941 led to
U.S. involvement in WWII

-During the war, the U.S. government feared that Japanese-Americans

might aid Imperial Japan

-Thousands of immigrants--some U.S. citizens--were placed in “War

Relocation Camps,” where they were forced to stay during the war

-Although this internment was challenged, the U.S. Supreme Court

upheld the constitutionality of the orders
Japanese-Americans
during World War II
Quotation:
“I don’t want any of them [Japanese immigrants]
here. They are a dangerous element. There is no
way to determine their loyalty … It makes no
difference whether he is an American, he is still
Japanese. American citizenship does not
necessarily determine loyalty … But we must worry
about the Japanese all the time until he is wiped
off the map.”
-John Dewitt, Lieutenant General
in the United States military
 Japanese-Americans
during World War II
Map Connection:

This map shows the

relocation centers used by
the American government
to detain immigrants of
Japanese descent during
WWII, as well as the
exclusion areas which
prohibited Japanese from
entering for issues of
“national security.”
Japanese-Americans
during World War II
Life Today:
-In the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the U.S.
government apologized for the internment during
the war and said that the detainment was based on
“race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of
political leadership.”

-Since WWII, Japanese-Americans have served in

many positions of government

-Today, about 7,000 new Japanese immigrants

arrive in the United States each year
Japanese-Americans
during World War II
Class Question:

If it saved American lives and made the

country safer, was the U.S. government
justified in detaining Japanese immigrants
during the war?