How did the U.S. treat Japanese-Americans in response to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor?

Answer 1

We imprisoned a number of them, fearing sabotage or spy efforts. Its not a good moment in our history for that.

We also allowed some to participate in fighting in the European area of the war. We put them there to make sure that they wouldn't be confused with the enemy or have temptation to join them. We did the same thing for the Germans in the US army, they fought in the Pacific.

Unlike what was said above, we did not torture them, we didn't make them work to death. We didn't butcher any of them. We just held them in detention out of fear.

Answer 2

The re-locations affected the West Coast and Hawaii, which was not then a state, but a territory, under martial law for the duration. Though punitive, harsh, and unprecedented in American history, it was both popular and widely supported across the political spectrum. And yes, Virginia, there were some few Japanese residents and citizens who were spies for Japan.

A generation later, the injustices were laid out and corrected, mostly, in the US Supreme Court case, Korematsu. What was left undone was the loss of property, business, and of course income during the incarceration. BTW the governor of California then was Earl Warren, later the USSC's Chief Justice when Korematsu was decided.

There has been a Congressional Act to provide some monetary compensation to those injured by the action, as well as public apologies.

Answer 3

It is unfair to say it's like Hitler treated the Jews. There are some major differences.

First of all, no Jewish nation attacked Germany. The campaign against the Jews was elitist and racist, and scapegoating. It had no even arguably legitimate basis.

Second, The internment of Japanese-American occurred only in coastal areas, where there was fear that ethnic Japanese might assist the Japanese army.

Third, although the camps were by no means comfortable, people were not abused, did not have to perform forced labor, no medical experiments were performed on them, and they were neither starved nor killed, according to documentaries made by the internees themselves about their experiences. They were allowed to return to their homes after the war, and most did.

Fourth, military-age Japanese-American men served with great distinction in the U.S. Army. The Nazis did not allow Jews to serve instead of being interned.

I live near Sacramento, CA, one of the cities highlighted in the recent PBS series about WW II ("The War"), and the series did a good job of highlighting both the unfairness of treating all California Japanese-Americans like potential enemy aliens, and the heroism of Japanese-American soldiers from here and Hawaii. I have also visited the sites of two of the relocation camps in California.

In general, I would say that the U.S. as a country probably did not treat Japanese-Americans more harshly than their neighbors as individuals might have. It is hard to imagine what it was like for people to hear that their country had been attacked by Japanese, and not fear all Japanese.

This is not to say what happened was fair or right. Especially the fact that people lost their property and many never got it back. I am proud of those non-Japanese in the Sacramento area who simply took over their Japanese friends' property during the war and gave it back after the internment was over. There must be a special place in the hereafter for people like that.

I believe that I am able to look at this issue without too much passion, because, at the time, my family was in Austria, having had their country taken over by Hitler, and later by occupying armies. By the time we came to the U.S., Japan was well on its way to becoming a friendly democracy.

Answer 4

The Japanese were put in camps for many reasons, but they stood out compared to their counterparts. If you said we are going to incarcerate all Irish, well how do you know who's Irish? Even after the Japanese were released from camps there was horrific hate towards the Japanese Americans, no matter they fought in WW !!. The of the Japanese were slanted eyes, glasses, high cheek bones, ugly as all get out, and buck teeth. Name calling as follows: Sneaky little
J _ _! Buddha head, slant eyes, four eyes, fish head and the like. But, the one thing that the Japanese Americans did was they got an education, and they became successful . I think they worked on building character and "saved face" by working hard and being respectful. According to what I know is that they didn't lead any protests for the wrongs th at was done to them.

Answer 5

The US rounded up all the Japanese and put them in detention camps. They weren't tortured or used for labor, they were just forcefully taken away from their homes.

It was wrong and sucked for them, but it was hardly comparable to Hitler's treatment of the Jews. I think the first answerer needs to get a middle-school history book.

Answer 6

They rounded them up and held them in detention camps until the end of the war. At least they had a better time of it than the Jews had with Hitler, they weren't slaughtered. It was tough for the second and third generation born in the States, but under the circumstances I can understand why the President felt it necessary.

Answer 7

they put them in camps for 'protection' against the general public

Answer 8

In pretty much the same way Hitler treated the Jews.

They put them in camps.