Seventy-five years ago, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order to remove people of Japanese descent from the West Coast. More than 110,000 people were forced to abandon their property and move to internment camps.
Despite the discrimination they faced, many internees demonstrated their loyalty to the United States by serving in the military. After the war, the camps were closed and people returned to their lives to pick up the pieces.
Timeline
Ten weeks after Pearl Harbor, the internment process began. Japanese-Americans remained in the camps for the duration of the war. The last camp closed In 1946.
Dec. 7, 1941 The Japanese military bombs Pearl Harbor.
Feb. 19, 1942 President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066.
March 2, 1942 General John L. DeWitt designates military areas along the West Coast.
March 18, 1942 The president establishes the War Relocation Authority.
March 22, 1942 Manzanar opens as an assembly center.
March 23, 1942 The first Exclusion Order is issued to remove people of Japanese descent.
March 24, 1942 A proclamation imposes travel restrictions, curfews and bans the possession of weapons, radios and cameras.
May — September 1942 The camps open.
Nov. 14, 1942 Uprising at Poston.
Dec. 5 — 6, 1942 Guards fire into the crowd during a riot at Manzanar, killing two.
Dec. 10, 1942 The WRA opens a prison for problem internees.
Jan. 29, 1943 The WRA distributes loyalty surveys to internees.
Feb. 1, 1943 The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, composed entirely of Japanese-Americans, is activated.
July — September 1943 The loyalty questionnaire is used to segregate uncooperative internees at Tule Lake.
Nov. 1, 1943 Uprising at Tule Lake.
Jan. 20, 1944 The draft is opened up to second-generation Japanese-Americans.
January 1945 Most restrictions are lifted as of Jan. 2. The first families begin returning home.
May 7, 1945 Germany surrenders.
Aug. 6, 1945 The atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima killing more than 80,000 people instantly.
Aug. 9, 1945 The atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki killing 70,000.
Aug. 14, 1945 Japan surrenders, ending WWII.
Sept. 4, 1945 All restrictions on Japanese-Americans are lifted.
March 20, 1946 Tule Lake is the last camp to close.
Forced evacuation
The attack on Pearl Harbor heightened racial prejudice and fears that immigrants were still loyal to Japan. In a matter of months, all people of Japanese descent were “evacuated” from designated areas.
With little notice, they had to abandon their homes, businesses and possessions as they were rounded up by soldiers. They were taken to assembly centers where families stayed in temporary shelters in filthy living conditions for weeks or months waiting to move. People were then relocated to remote camps by train.
Life in the camps
Surrounded by barbed wire and armed guards, internees rebuilt their communities in the prison-like conditions over the next three years. Families lived in cramped, military barracks and shared dining and bathroom facilities.
Internees were offered employment at very low wages. They filled many positions, from farming to health care, to keep the camps running.
Children were required to attend school. Internees taught classes and tried to maintain education standards with few resources.
As time went on, people became politically active, electing representatives to fight for better conditions in the camps.
They also organized activities to maintain a semblance of ordinary life. Clubs and church groups formed. Sports were a very popular pastime. Internee-run newspapers even included the scores of camp baseball games while chronicling daily life.
Proving their patriotism
To prove their loyalty and escape persecution, many Japanese-Americans enlisted in the military.
The 442nd Regimental Combat Team was composed entirely of Japanese Americans and became one the most decorated units in history. In one incident, they rescued a surrounded batallion, suffering 800 casualties to save 211 American soldiers.
They were honored by President Truman, who said “You fought not only the enemy but you fought prejudice — and you have won.”
After the war
Only about a third of internees returned to their original communities. Families faced discrimination and harassment.
Congress took steps in the subsequent years to help repair the lives of former internees.
Immigration from Japan was made legal in 1952, allowing first generation Japanese to finally become citizens.
In 1988, President Reagan signed HR442 paying $20,000 to each surviving internee.
