Describe and analyze the experiences of Japanese-Americans in the Unit

Describe and analyze the experiences of Japanese-Americans in the United States before, during, and immediately after World War II.

Answer:

ANSWER
An ideal response will:
1. Distinguish between the experiences of those on the West Coast, those in Hawaii, and those in other parts of the mainland United States.
2. Differentiate between Issei, or first-generation immigrants who had arrive prior to 1924, and the Nissei, or American-born generation.
3. Note that there was little overt hostility toward the Japanese immediately after Pearl Harbor and discuss why that was.
4. Compare the situation with the “enemy alien” status of Germans and Italians in the United States when war was declared.
5. Describe the attitude of large-scale West Coast agricultural interests toward competition from Japanese small farmers.
6. Describe how first the Japanese were allowed to move from the West Coast to the Midwest and the East, then how they were ordered to assembly centers, and then ultimately located by force to internment camps.
7. Describe the harsh living conditions in the internment camps.
8. Note the all-Japanese volunteer units who fought with distinction in Europe.
9. Describe how following their release from the camps at the end of the war, these Japanese return to find that their homes and businesses were gone.
10. Write a concise and effective conclusion.