You Decide CBA

By Social Studies: Civics

May , 2012

Public Issue: Japanese Internment during World War 2

• Position: I believe that Japanese- American internment during World War 2 was wrong and unnecessary .ORI believe that Japanese- American internment during World War 2 was right and necessary .

Historical Background• The Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution to

protect certain rights belonging to all Americans -rights such as:

freedom of speech,

freedom of religion,

freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures,

the right to a speedy and fair trial.

Historical Background• On December 7, 1941, planes bombed American military base in the Hawaiian islands, killing over a thousand people and almost destroying the whole U.S. Pacific fleet. The next day the United States officially entered .

Historical Background• President signed

Executive Order 9066 on February 12, 1942. This Act made it legal for the United States to take Japanese Americans from their homes often with only a few belongings and hold them in several internment camps in the Western United States.

Stakeholder # 1:

United States government, military and some concerned citizens

The Japanese attack on American soil shocked the country, and many Americans became suspicious of any and all persons of Japanese descent in America.• Some people thought that the Japanese

military would attack the West Coast of the Unites States and that West Coast Japanese-Americans would help Japan.

• They thought the Japanese-Americans were spies.

• It was thought that Japanese- American fishing boats would be used to contact Japan’s warships.

Stakeholder # 1:

United States government, military and

some concerned citizens• Many people scared by the war believed that

Japanese-Americans would sabotage or destroy factories that produced airplanes or war supplies.

• General John DeWitt was in charge of protecting the nation’s Pacific coast. He called for immediate action and wanted military zones along the West Coast.

• He argued that for the safety of the country during war, all Japanese should be removed from the West Coast.

Stakeholder # 2: Japanese-Americans• Most Japanese-Americans were citizens of the United

States. Almost half of the people interned in camps were children. They had to go regardless of their age (the elderly and the children …. Were they dangerous, too?)

• They wanted to show that they were loyal to the USA.

• They were never actually accused of a crime and did not have a trial.

• Almost all the Japanese-Americans cooperated with the evacuation orders even though they could only bring 2 suitcases, and had to sell their homes, belongings and businesses.

• They had only a few weeks to prepare and they had no idea where they would be going or how long they would be away.

Rights for position # 1

• In a national crisis (emergency), President Roosevelt’s first concern was the security of the American people. He signed Executive Order 9066 to keep Americans safe from enemies.

• The US Constitution grants the president the power to set aside constitutional rights during a national emergency. It is called executive privilege.

• In times of war, the Bill of Rights should be interpreted differently so that the United States can be safe and secure.

Rights for position # 2Freedom of religion

Japanese Americans' religious freedoms were violated because they could not practice Eastern religious beliefs. The practice of the Shinto religion was not allowed in the camps.

Freedom of speech 

Japanese Americans were denied the freedom of speech because they were not allowed to use the Japanese language in public meetings.

Freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures

The FBI searched homes of Japanese Americans often without search warrants, seeking any items identified as being Japanese. Items which appeared as dangerous or illegal such as short-wave radios were taken.

Right to a speedy and public trial

Japanese Americans lost their right to liberty and property when they were forced to leave their homes and were locked up in detention camps without charges and trial by jury. The Japanese Americans were held against their will in barbed wire compounds under armed guard.

Rights for position # 2• In times of war, the Bill of Rights should not

be interpreted differently. All citizens should maintain their rights and freedoms.

• Freedom is the most important basis on which our country was founded and should be protected at all times. The evacuated Japanese-Americans were United States citizens.

• If we let fear determine our actions, our freedom will be lost.

Call to Action

• In the future, if there is a war or a national crisis, leaders and citizens of the United States should ( temporarily suspend/take away)

OR (protect and honor)

certain freedoms provided in the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Sources• Burgan, Michael. The Japanese American Internment:

Civil Liberties Denied. Minneapolis: Compass Point, 2007. Print.

Fremon, David K. Japanese-American Internment in American History. Springfield, NJ: Enslow, 1996. Print.

Kent, Deborah. The Tragic History of the Japanese-American Internment Camps. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Pub., 2008. Print.

• Ostgaard, Kolleen, Chris Smart, Tom McGuire, Madeline Lanz, and Dr. Timothy A. Hodson. "Rights Violated to Japanese Americans." Rights Violated to Japanese Americans. California State University. Web. 2 May 2012. <http://bss.sfsu.edu/internment/rightsviolated.html>.