For many United States citizens of Japanese descent, February 19th, 1942 would represent an unparalleled loss of freedom. After the Pearl Harbor attacks, significant fear about the state of national security would sweep the nation. As a result, President Franklin D. Roosevelt would commence Executive Order 9066, an act that removed all persons from Japanese descent to internment camps set up at specified locations. The goal of the order was to protect Japanese-Americans from the consequences of American resentment for Japan while simultaneously preventing the spread of information, and government secrets ("Japanese Relocation During World War II"). As of 1940, nearly 127,000 people reported being of Japanese descent, where a large minority were located on the Western coast ("Japanese-American Relocation"). Nearly 120,000 of those reported Japanese were affected by Executive Order 9066. In a matter of weeks, those affected were ordered to report to gathering centers near their respective cities, only to be transported to internment camps shortly thereafter ("Japanese Relocation During World War II").
In total, ten internment camps operated in the seven states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Conditions within the camps, were less than ideal with natural-born citizens solely being able to hold positions of authority. The camps themselves, lacked proper facilities for education, living, and healthcare. Frequently, an entire family would share the same room, and the entire facility would eat together in one large dining area ("Japanese-American Internment at a Glance:"). In essence, the internment camps resembled actual prisons. The last internment camp would close in the spring of 1946. After many lost their homes, businesses, and possessions, Congress passed an act that provided payments to each affected individual in 1988. Even today, Japanese Internment remains a sensitive subject for Americans of all ethnicities ("Japanese-American Relocation").
In total, ten internment camps operated in the seven states of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming. Conditions within the camps, were less than ideal with natural-born citizens solely being able to hold positions of authority. The camps themselves, lacked proper facilities for education, living, and healthcare. Frequently, an entire family would share the same room, and the entire facility would eat together in one large dining area ("Japanese-American Internment at a Glance:"). In essence, the internment camps resembled actual prisons. The last internment camp would close in the spring of 1946. After many lost their homes, businesses, and possessions, Congress passed an act that provided payments to each affected individual in 1988. Even today, Japanese Internment remains a sensitive subject for Americans of all ethnicities ("Japanese-American Relocation").
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