Should Japanese American internment be taught as morally wrong?

Question

There's a debate in a local school district concerning the teaching of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.

The district proposed standards that REQUIRE teachers to present internment in class as morally wrong.

Other argue that you should look at multiple perspectives of the issue and let the students decide for themselves?

What do you think? Are some historical topics so morally repugnant that students be taught what to think about them?

Answer 1

It should be taught along with the reasons why internment camps were used. Yes it was wrong however the grater good was at stake (The whole world was afire with tyrants, dictators and fascist bent on world domination) all of Europe was under Nazi controle, and hitler was only days away from taking england. Hell He rolled across counties in a matter of houes and the same is said with Tojo. Look at china, They were desomated by the japs. We ahd Jap subs off of one coast and Uboats off the other...

Answer 2

First of all, history should never be taught in such a way that you TELL someone what to think. The facts, as we know them, should be provided. One thing that would be helpful in this situation is for the textbook or teacher to present what happened from the American point of view. Why did we inter these people? What were the fears we had? What were the prejudices? If people feared that the Japanese would side with Japan, a good question to ask is, "What about those Japanese who were American citizens, and second or third generation in this country? A major controvery in the issue you present is that there are people now who carelessly compare the Japanese interment camps with Hitlers death camps. This is th epitomy of comparing apples to oranges. Were the Japanese treated unfairly? Yes. Was their property taken and usually never returned? Yes. Were they sent to gas chambers? No. Accounts of Japanese Americans exist today in diaries they kept while interred. They were certainly unfairly kept in camps but the children received grammar and high school education, many adults received job training, and they certainly had enough to eat and though conditions were crowded, they had heat and beds. Ideal? No. Shameful? Certainly. Comparable to Hitler's death camps? Definitely not.

Answer 3

Students are taught what to think about all events in history anyway...at least lately. Though they certainly shouldn't be. There used to be the idea of critical thinking in history, alas. The internment of the Japanese (and incidentally many Germans and Italians...though you aren't taught that) was morally wrong and unconstitutional. FDR basically jailed (sort of) a percentage of American citizens simply because of race, and to get revenge for Pearl Harbor. He had the backing of the Supreme Court and his entire cabinet (EXCEPT for J. Edgar Hoover who violently opposed the idea) in this scandal. He had the backing of a Democratic controlled congress as well. His reasoning for this was that there would be ethnic Japanese who would work against the US war effort inside America. Hind site shows us that the Japanese-Americans were indeed VERY loyal...to America. It was during the Presidency of Gerald Ford (recently deceased) that the interned Japanese-Americans were given compensation by the US government and an apology..of sorts. The Italians that were interned were members of the American Fascist party and the Germans were American Nazi Bund assholes, so they deserved to be interned. I am sure there are some out there who can provide a logical reason for the internment of Japanese-Americans...it would be fun to listen to, anyway.

Answer 4

I can only present my personal opinion- I am not a USian.

IMO it is wrong to REQUIRE teachers to make moral judgements on historical matters. The moral aspects are considered by today's standards, and that is not only extremely personal but also very subjective.

When teaching about the Internment camps for Japanese Americans I would remind students that Italian Americans and German Americans were also placed in internment camps. I would also remind students that American citizens living in occupied territries were placed not in "internment" camps but in concentration camps- including Aushvitz and Treblinka extermination camp. I would also remind students that german American troops were used in special Nazi sabotage units (eg during the Ardennes offensive). Also worthy of remembering is that japanese Americans actually cooperated with downed Japanese pilots during/after the Pearl harbour attack, and that german americans were the mainstay of the Nazi espionage and sabotage effort in the US
Another thing worth teaching is the fact that Japanese, German and Italian Americans fought in WW2 against the Axis powers, and earned heaps of medals for gallantry and courage.
And I would ask my students to think for themselves.

Legislating morality, coupled with a 20/20 hindsight and personal preconceptions seems to me to be a very foolish thing. I might remind the legislators that such REQUIREMENTS in teaching were introduced by an esteemed teacher- one called Adolf H. Of course he enforced HIS view of the world.

Does your school district also have "one and only correct" teaching requirements on the Cambodia/ Khmer Rouge? the French revolution/Terreur period? Slavery in the Islamic world?The long term effects of the "peace movement" in the Vietnam war? Or is 4 milion murdered people not important enough for them?

If you'll accept my opinion- this is a sure sign that you need to change the people who run the school district. They obviously have no other occupations which they consider important.

Answer 5

Everybody seems to have good points in their answers. I certainly think that the Japanes American internment was morally wrong, but I don't know if that's the correct way to teach history.
I wanted to add that I know of German Jews in England that were sent to internment camps in Australia during the war by the English. When I asked one of the gentlemen who had been interred if he still angry, he explained that they were never angry--it was a difficult time, though in the source listed below, some do seem bitter.

Answer 6

Its stupid. TO its logical conclusion we have to change all the books each time some new vallue becomes PC. What is next that there were no gays at Valley Forge. That women weren't allowed to fight in the French and Indian war?
How would this work? A vote on proposed new values to teach. Why can''t they concentrat on the facts and leave the brain washing to the news media

Answer 7

I don't like modern ideals of morality being used in the study of history. History should teach you what happened, and the framework surrounding the events. As mankind becomes more enlightened, our views of the past will shift. You cannot judge historical figures against our modern morals and understand them; they will always fall short of your expectations. You have to view them in their own time frame, and then you can see how progressive or conservative they were at that time.

Morals are best discussed in philosophy and sociology, and not in history. This is my opinion.

Answer 8

I think that history needs to be presented factually and without moral dictates.

Would any of us feel comfortable allowing the schools telling our children which historic events were right and which were wrong?

It would be like watching the evening news and the newscaster passing critiques on each story. This is America, we shouldn't be told how to think.

Answer 9

Right or wrong it was done. My issue is that so many young people today have no idea that it even occurred. I grew up in California, I learned the history. My children grew up in Massachusetts and would have no idea this injustice ever occurred if not for me telling them.