Essay Example on US Internment of Japanese Americans: Fred Korematsu's Story

Introduction

Immediately after the bombing of the Pearl Harbour in Hawai, all the suspicious enemies were required to be arrested and taken into new relocation. Fred Korematsu was thereby arrested while standing as he was smoking in the presence of his girlfriend. The internment of the Japanese Americans happened simultaneously catapulted by some specific reasons. The fundamental reason is as a result of the USA developing fear that Japanese Americans with both cultural as well as ethnic ties to the Japanese government could have acted as an essential aid in the war. The United States felt that some of the Japanese who resided in its soils could, at some point, be involved in espionage. The government had a unique perception towards the Japanese who lived on the pacific coast, which ultimately resulted in the immediate evacuation of Japanese with aboriginal descent known as Essei. It happened due to the alignment to U.S naturalization law, which inhibited the eligibility of acquiring full citizenship for non-white immigrants.

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Moreover, some months after the Pearl Harbor attack, a significant segment of the army staff, as well as the California congress, developed an expansive plan of evacuating the Nisei category of Japanese people. They were the children who were born in the United States from Japanese immigrants. It was believed that they posed a severe threat to the west coast. Those who advocated the plan blindly argued with no proof at all that Japanese espionage rooted in Hawaii were the ones who facilitated the pearl attack. Evacuation of the west coast Japanese residents, however, did not result in a significant economic blow since they only constituted one percent of the general population. The action was also a sense of relief to Californian based growers who had suffered pressure from the Japanese Americans over a long period. It also paved the way for economically interested associations to collaborate with anti-Japanese nativists in support with total exclusion disregard of the citizenship.

Additionally, some weeks later, the final internment order was imposed by the government. There was a curfew on all Japanese descents residing in the pacific states. President Franklin Roosevelt issued an executive order resulting in the emanation of an independent authority to the U.S military body to designate sensitive places during the time of war. It also facilitated the determination of people to be excluded from the designated areas as the ultimate provision of food, transport as well as shelter to the evacuated individuals. A month later, the congress supported the order issued by the president thus Lieutenant Gen. Dewitt a maximum latitude in taking all the protective measures necessary during the wartime. He was also determined to ensure that no espionage or sabotage would take place on the domain under his instructions.

How did the lived experiences of the internees compare to the government's behavior towards them?

The American Japanese internees felt a wild and humiliating experience of being rounded off and forced into isolation camps. They started developing a negative attitude towards the government at large. They were not comfortable after being relocated into various internment camps. Some were even subjected more to a series of humiliations resulting from the psychological trauma. They also had to live in terrible conditions in the camps such as congestion, which ultimately could pose a health-related threat. They were not allowed to carry most of their belongings to the camps. They could only take a single bag while being closely monitored and accompanied by the military. The kind of treatment that the internees received made some of them develop a sense of unification while at the same time, some gained acceptance of the United States. The acceptance that originated is through the utilization of the court systems as well as the citizenships.

The internees could not, at any point, escape from the camps since they were surrounded and monitored by the military. Some Japanese Americans challenged the government that the internment was illegal and unconstitutional. An example is Korematsu vs. USA case; there was the conviction of Fred Korematsu after defying the orders following eviction to the camps. His family obeyed the relocation order, but his reaction was different in the sense that he ceased moving ahead. He was later arrested and interned at a relocation camp situated in Topaz. He experienced dusty, dry as well as desolated conditions which other Japanese faced s. Different ethnic groups in the camp challenged him following the decision he took. He was later allowed out of the camp, where he moved to Salt Lake City before heading to Detroit. Korematsu appealed the decision to the court, which entails both exclusions as well as the conviction order.

From the supreme court records, it is clear that they are varied reactions and opinions inline with the Korematsu vs. U.S case. Part three of the submitted brief demystifies support of Korematsu's conviction done by the solicitor general of the united states. In another briefing provided by Wayne Collins is merely arguments against military necessity as well as the constitutionality of the evacuation (Grant,2012).

In the ruling, the court upheld the conviction of Korematsu. He challenged the U.S government on the relocation of Japanese Americans. The court took a step of ruling while leaning on the government's side. At long last, the court ruling claimed that the evacuation was deliberately legal, thus declaring Fred guilty of disobeying crucial military orders. At the same time, in Endo's case, the court purported that the government couldn't detain a citizen following a certified loyalty. Besides, some Japanese Americans portrayed some commitment through enlisting in the U.S. military. They were all put and organized under a single regiment, which was known to be a decorated unit in the U.S. army. It mainly constituted the Nisei ethnic group who was wholly devoted to fighting for the U.S government.

What does the topic of Japanese internment tell us broadly about our nation's character/treatment towards immigrants?

The topic provides a vital learning platform on learning how the government is treating the immigrants and what should be done to avoid what took place in the Japanese American internment period. The government must provide fair treatment to immigrants' equivalent to the treatment to its loyal citizens. The topic offers a significant ground for learning from the past and thus developing the capacity of preventing history from repeating itself. The sufferings and humiliations that Japanese Americans endured are essential for concluding the disadvantages of racial injustices that could be a verdict of racism in ten contemporary world. The government, therefore, should enact and put in place strict laws governing racial inequities to prevent new cases of wild treatment to immigrants. The immigrants can boost the economy in areas they resided since, seemingly, they engage in most of the legal, economic practices.

Besides, the lessons drawn from the Japanese internment helps various nations in learning holistic shaping of the country as well as communities. People, therefore, learn from the past that in whatever the case, consequences of blind decisions could result in eternal regrets is caution is not taken into account. It is also essential to incorporate the knowledge that generations will come and pass; thereby, there is a crucial need to maintain a racial free environment at all times. The community should thereby embrace a fair treatment to the immigrants' thus the ultimate attainment of a peaceful nation. It also assists a country from creating and developing socially responsible citizens while at the same time shaping them into a more aware future.

The immigrants are given an opportunity of a hearing before immigration judge by the federal government. An immigrant can present their cases openly, unlike in the past, where congress could curtail such rights. The case is thereby decided and conducted in a free and fair manner disregards of the consequences. Moreover, the immigrants enjoy an opportunity for representation by the lawyer though the government cannot cover the expenses. It is also crucial that countries take the issue of immigrants seriously.

It has been confirmed that immigrants are associated with a vast range of benefits to a given country. They are known for culture expansively following the introduction of new ideas as well as customs. They tend to seemingly change the fabric of society's culture in many ways. Immigrants don't only lead in the expansion of existing culture but also art, expertise as well as cuisines. Immigration at the same time makes the world more connected by enabling it to be a cliche. Immigrants engage in global commerce while developing friendships with people from different races. It thereby helps in culminating the issue of racism in the nation. The interconnectedness is also vital since it tends to foster global progress while at the same time, curbing other issues in the country, such as hunger and gender inequality.

It is also important to acknowledge the fact that immigrants are just people like us; equal treatment is thereby recommendable disregard to the color of the skin or place of origin. Unfair treatment, which took place in the U.S sometimes back, which involved the Japanese Americans, should thereby be a thing of the past and never will it occur again. Leading world economies has embraced the issue of fair treatment to the immigrants while imposing strict measures on those found with various racial injustices.

Reference

Grant, Kimi C. Silver Like Dust: One Family's Story of America's Japanese Internmentone Family's Story of America's Japanese Internment. , 2012. Internet resource.