Japanese Internment
Weighing the Evidence
All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.Name:
Class:
Class:
Worksheet
Japanese Internment
Weighing the Evidence
Examine the documents and text included in this activity. Consider how each document does or does not support two opposing interpretations or conclusions. Fill in the topic or interpretations if they are not provided. To show how the documents support the different interpretations, enter the corresponding document number into the boxes near the interpretation. Write your conclusion response in the space provided. Interpretation 1
Internment was inconvenient sure, but their lives weren't so bad.
Internment was inconvenient sure, but their lives weren't so bad.
Japanese Internment: Which is the true picture? Inconvenient but acceptable or injustice for all?
Interpretation 2
Wow, not only was I forced to move away from my home, look at the conditions I dealt with and the injustices I suffered.
Wow, not only was I forced to move away from my home, look at the conditions I dealt with and the injustices I suffered.
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Conclusion
Japanese Internment
Weighing the Evidence
Your Response
Document
Translation of a Handbill with List of Demands by the Voice of Nisei
ca. 1944
During World War II, Japanese Americans were targeted and detained at internment camps, including the Colorado River Relocation Center in Poston, Arizona (also known as the Poston War Relocation Center). Learning that interned Japanese American men were required to register for selective service, George Fujii posted handbills around the camp discouraging draft-age men from cooperating. He was accused of sedition (his case did not go to trial, and he was later acquitted).
This is an English translation of one of the handbills that was posted at the Colorado River Relocation Center. It was submitted as evidence in the case United States v. George S. Fujii.
The document alludes to the drafting of Japanese-Americans, and makes demands relating to the improvement of civil rights for Japanese-Americans. It was signed "the Voice of Nisei."
This is an English translation of one of the handbills that was posted at the Colorado River Relocation Center. It was submitted as evidence in the case United States v. George S. Fujii.
The document alludes to the drafting of Japanese-Americans, and makes demands relating to the improvement of civil rights for Japanese-Americans. It was signed "the Voice of Nisei."
This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.
National Archives Identifier: 2641504
Full Citation: Translation of a Handbill with List of Demands by the Voice of Nisei; ca. 1944; C6781 United States v. George S. Fujii; Criminal Case Files, 1912 - 2004; Records of District Courts of the United States, ; National Archives at Riverside, Perris, CA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/translation-demands-voice-nisei, April 29, 2024]Translation of a Handbill with List of Demands by the Voice of Nisei
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Document
Order of Judgment and Sentence
10/21/1942
In 1942, Gordon Hirabayashi, a Japanese American student at the University of Washington, refused to report to a relocation camp. His refusal defied Executive Order 9066 evacuating Japanese Americans from the West Coast. This document is the judgment and sentence handed down in the case United States v. Gordon Hirabayashi, and records the outcome of Hirabayashi’s first trial. The U.S. District Court ruled 9-0 against him. Forty years later, Hirabayashi challenged his 1942 conviction. The court overturned the earlier verdict.
This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.
National Archives Identifier: 596076
Full Citation: Order of Judgment and Sentence; 10/21/1942; Criminal Case File 45,738; Criminal Case Files, 1926 - 2000; Records of District Courts of the United States, ; National Archives at Seattle, Seattle, WA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/judgment-us-v-hirabayashi, April 29, 2024]Order of Judgment and Sentence
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Order of Judgment and Sentence
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Document
San Francisco, California. Exclusion Order posted at First and Front Streets
4/11/1942
The full caption for this photograph reads: San Francisco, California. Exclusion Order posted at First and Front Streets directing removal of persons of Japanese ancestry from the first San Francisco section to be effected by the evacuation.
This document is featured in the primary source-based student workbook "Putting the Bill of Rights to the Test."
This document is featured in the primary source-based student workbook "Putting the Bill of Rights to the Test."
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 536017
Full Citation: Photograph 210-G-A39; San Francisco, California. Exclusion Order posted at First and Front Streets; 4/11/1942; Central Photographic File of the War Relocation Authority, 1942 - 1945; Records of the War Relocation Authority, ; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/exclusion-order, April 29, 2024]San Francisco, California. Exclusion Order posted at First and Front Streets
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Document
'Congress Should Compensate Those Wronged' - Commentary by Kiyoshi Okamoto to fellow Heart Mountain internees regarding federal court decision on Korematsu vs. U.S
1944
This document is a call to join lecture and discussion groups, and includes commentary by Kiyoshi Okamoto to fellow Heart Mountain internees regarding the federal court decision in Korematsu v. United States.
It was included in the case of the United States of America vs. Kiyoshi Okamoto, et. al. The prosecution of Okamoto, et. al. (Case #4930) stems directly from the Heart Mountain draft resistance movement that also resulted in the conviction of Shigeru Fujii and 62 others as documented in U.S. District Court Case #4928. Okamoto and his co-defendants, members of the so-called "Fair Play Committee," were indicted for conspiring to assist other Heart Mountain residents in their challenge to War Relocation Authority policies and the Selective Service Act as it applied to relocation camp internees.
It was included in the case of the United States of America vs. Kiyoshi Okamoto, et. al. The prosecution of Okamoto, et. al. (Case #4930) stems directly from the Heart Mountain draft resistance movement that also resulted in the conviction of Shigeru Fujii and 62 others as documented in U.S. District Court Case #4928. Okamoto and his co-defendants, members of the so-called "Fair Play Committee," were indicted for conspiring to assist other Heart Mountain residents in their challenge to War Relocation Authority policies and the Selective Service Act as it applied to relocation camp internees.
This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.
National Archives Identifier: 292805
Full Citation: 'Congress Should Compensate Those Wronged' - Commentary by Kiyoshi Okamoto to fellow Heart Mountain internees regarding federal court decision on Korematsu vs. U.S; 1944; United States of America vs. Kiyoshi Okamoto, et. al.; Criminal Case Files, 1890 - 1949; Records of District Courts of the United States, ; National Archives at Denver, Broomfield, CO. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/compensate-those-wronged, April 29, 2024]'Congress Should Compensate Those Wronged' - Commentary by Kiyoshi Okamoto to fellow Heart Mountain internees regarding federal court decision on Korematsu vs. U.S
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Document
Photograph of the Wedding of George and Michiko Uchida
4/27/1942
Original caption: Berkeley, California (2903 Harper Street). Wedding of George and Michiko Uchida two days before evacuation to Tanforan Assembly center. These young people do not speak Japanese.
Additional details from our exhibits and publications
George and Michiko Ushida were married in Berkeley, California, on April 22, 1942. Two days later, they left for the Tanforan assembly center in San Bruno, California, enroute to one of 10 relocation centers established following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered people of Japanese descent living on the West Coast, many of them American citizens, to internment camps amid fears they would support Japan during World War II.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 537680
Full Citation: Photograph of the Wedding of George and Michiko Uchida; 4/27/1942; Records of the War Relocation Authority, . [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/photograph-of-the-wedding-of-george-and-michiko-uchida, April 29, 2024]Photograph of the Wedding of George and Michiko Uchida
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Stockton, California. These evacuees of Japanese ancestry are watching the arrival of buses bringing. . .
5/19/1942
The full caption for this photograph reads: Stockton, California. These evacuees of Japanese ancestry are watching the arrival of buses bringing new groups of families to this assembly center.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 537731
Full Citation: Stockton, California. These evacuees of Japanese ancestry are watching the arrival of buses bringing. . .; 5/19/1942; Records of the War Relocation Authority, . [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/stockton-california-these-evacuees-of-japanese-ancestry-are-watching-the-arrival-of-buses-bringing-, April 29, 2024]Stockton, California. These evacuees of Japanese ancestry are watching the arrival of buses bringing. . .
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San Francisco, California. Japanese family heads and persons living alone form a line outside Civil Control Station
4/25/1942
The original caption for this photograph, taken by photographer Dorothea Lange for the War Relocation Authority, reads: San Francisco, California. Japanese family heads and persons living alone, form a line outside Civil Control Station located in the Japanese American Citizens League Auditorium at 2031 Bush Street, to appear for "processing" in response to Civilian Exclusion Order Number 20.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 536422
Full Citation: Photograph 210-G-A530; San Francisco, California. Japanese family heads and persons living alone form a line outside Civil Control Station; 4/25/1942; Central Photographic File of the War Relocation Authority, 1942 - 1945; Records of the War Relocation Authority, ; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/line-civil-control-station, April 29, 2024]San Francisco, California. Japanese family heads and persons living alone form a line outside Civil Control Station
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Florin, California. Two of the nine American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who have returned to the...
5/10/1942
The full caption for this photograph reads: Florin, California. Two of the nine American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who have returned to their home town on furloughs that were granted to them in order that they could assist their families prepare for evacuation of all persons of Japanese ancestry from their west coast homes. This community is depending on their returned service men for many errands, shopping, banking, etc., because the soldiers are permitted to travel into town, nine miles away, while others cannot because of military restrictions.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 537855
Full Citation: Florin, California. Two of the nine American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who have returned to the...; 5/10/1942; Records of the War Relocation Authority, . [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/florin-california-two-of-the-nine-american-soldiers-of-japanese-ancestry-who-have-returned-to-the, April 29, 2024]Florin, California. Two of the nine American soldiers of Japanese ancestry who have returned to the...
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San Francisco, California. This restaurant, named 'Nisei' after second- generation children born in this country to Japanese immigrants was closed prior to evacuation of residents of Japanese ancestry
4/7/1942
The original caption for this photograph reads: San Francisco, California. This restaurant, named "Nisei" after second- generation children born in this country to Japanese immigrants was closed prior to evacuation of residents of Japanese ancestry; and, according to sign in the window, was scheduled to re- open under new management. Evacuees will be housed at War Relocation Authority centers for [the] duration.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 536045
Full Citation: Photograph 210-G-A68; San Francisco, California. This restaurant, named 'Nisei' after second- generation children born in this country to Japanese immigrants was closed prior to evacuation of residents of Japanese ancestry; 4/7/1942; Central Photographic File of the War Relocation Authority, 1942 - 1945; Records of the War Relocation Authority, ; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/nisei-grill, April 29, 2024]San Francisco, California. This restaurant, named 'Nisei' after second- generation children born in this country to Japanese immigrants was closed prior to evacuation of residents of Japanese ancestry
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Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. This site near Tule Lake in Modoc County, just...
4/23/1942
The full caption for this photograph reads: Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. This site near Tule Lake in Modoc County, just south of the Oregon border, has been selected for the construction of a War Relocation Authority center for evacuees of Japanese ancestry.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 536207
Full Citation: Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. This site near Tule Lake in Modoc County, just...; 4/23/1942; Records of the War Relocation Authority, . [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/tule-lake-relocation-center-newell-california-this-site-near-tule-lake-in-modoc-county-just, April 29, 2024]Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. This site near Tule Lake in Modoc County, just...
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Tule Lake Segregation Center, Newell, California. A Kindergarten Class at the Tule Lake Center
9/1944
The original caption for this photograph reads: Tule Lake Segregation Center, Newell, California. A kindergarten class at the Tule Lake Center on the playground.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 539600
Full Citation: Photograph 210-G-G776; Tule Lake Segregation Center, Newell, California. A Kindergarten Class at the Tule Lake Center; 9/1944; Central Photographic File of the War Relocation Authority, 1942 - 1945; Records of the War Relocation Authority, ; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/kindergarten-tule-lake, April 29, 2024]Tule Lake Segregation Center, Newell, California. A Kindergarten Class at the Tule Lake Center
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Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. These attractive young evacuees show the garments...
9/7/1942
The full caption for this photograph reads: Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. These attractive young evacuees show the garments made by the pattern drafting class in Block 1808.
This primary source comes from the Records of the War Relocation Authority.
National Archives Identifier: 538401
Full Citation: Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. These attractive young evacuees show the garments...; 9/7/1942; Records of the War Relocation Authority, . [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/tule-lake-relocation-center-newell-california-these-attractive-young-evacuees-show-the-garments, April 29, 2024]Tule Lake Relocation Center, Newell, California. These attractive young evacuees show the garments...
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