Japanese Internment: Military Necessity or Racism?

Immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States committed one of the most deplorable acts in its brief history. Between 110,000 and 120,000 Japanese-Americans were forced out of their homes and into internment camps heavily guarded by military officials. The government argued that these acts were militarily necessary, but a closer examination reveals that racism and discrimination played a crucial role in the detainment of Japanese-Americans. With racism already a problem in America during the …showed first 75 words of 1949 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1949 total…the decision to force Japanese-Americans into internment camps. Because it was the government’s decision to separate Japanese-Americans from other Americans, racism in the United States increased. Japanese internment was not militarily justified – it was not justified in any sense. Behind the motivation of racial discrimination, Japanese-Americans were forced to leave their homes and livelihoods creating one of the most extreme violations of rights in American history and disrupting the lives of thousands of people.