To access the TED Talk, scan the QR Code on the Handout or click here: "Why I Love a Country That Once Betrayed Me" TED Talk To access the editable Google Doc version of this product, click the link below. You will be prompted to make a copy, which will automatically save to your Google Drive and allow you to make any desired edits. Editable Google Doc Link Thank you for downloading! If you like this product, please take a moment to leave feedback & check out my: ★ Blog ★ TpT Store ★ Instagram ★ Twitter Other products you may enjoy… “Why I Love a Country That Once Betrayed Me” TED Talk: George Takei Guided Notes Handout 1. What event happened when George was 4 years old that plunged America into WW II? 2. Why were George, his family, and other Japanese Americans looked upon with fear, suspicion and hatred? 3. What happened on February 19th, 1942? 4. What are some details George remembers about his experience in the internment camp? 5. What problems did his family face when they returned to California after they were released? 6. What happened when young Japanese Americans originally volunteered to fight for their country after the bombing of Pearl Harbor? 7. What is significant about the term Non-Alien? 8. Why did the government finally decide to open up military service for Japanese Americans? 9. Why did thousands of young Japanese Americans still volunteer to serve in the military after they had been denied service and imprisoned? 10. What specific accomplishment does George mention about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team? “Why I Love a Country That Once Betrayed Me” TED Talk: George Takei Guided Notes — Answer Key 1. What event happened when George was 4 years old that plunged America into WW II? Japanese planes bombed Pearl Harbor. 2. Why were George, his family, and other Japanese Americans looked upon with fear, suspicion and hatred? Because they were of Japanese descent — they looked like the people who had bombed Pearl Harbor. 3. What happened on February 19th, 1942? FDR ordered all Japanese Americans on the west coast to be rounded up, with no due process and no trial. They were imprisoned in internment camps in desolate areas of the country. 4. What are some details George remembers about his experience in the internment camp? Barbed wire fence, sentry tower, searchlights; they had to line up three times a day to eat and had to bathe in a mass shower. 5. What problems did his family face when they returned to California after they were released? They had no money and lost everything; they had to start all over in the middle of their lives. 6. What happened when young Japanese Americans originally volunteered to fight for their country after the bombing of Pearl Harbor? They were denied service, categorized as “Enemy, Non-Alien” and imprisoned for a year. 7. What is significant about the term Non-Alien? It means “citizen in the negative - they even took the word citizen away from us.” 8. Why did the government finally decide to open up military service for Japanese Americans? The government realized there was a manpower shortage; they needed more soldiers to fight. 9. Why did thousands of young Japanese Americans still volunteer to serve in the military after they had been denied service and imprisoned? They wanted to fight not only to get their families out from behind the barbed wire fences, but also because they cherished the ideal of what the U.S. government *should* stand for: all men are created equal. 10. W hat specific accomplishment does George mention about the 442nd Regimental Combat Team? “The Battle for the Gothic Line” — A six month stalemate was broken by the 442nd overnight. Germans were imbedded in mountainous hillside and three Allied battalions had been trying to break the line for the past six months. The 442nd was called in; they came up with a unique but dangerous idea. Because the backside of the mountain was a sheer rock cliff, the Germans thought an attack from the backside would be impossible. So the 442nd decided to do the impossible. On a dark night they began scaling the rock wall, a drop of more than 1,000 feet, in full combat gear. They climbed all night long. Some lost their grip but fell silently to not give their plan away. Those who made it to the top attacked when light broke. The Germans were surprised and the 442nd took the hill, breaking the Gothic line. They returned as the most decorated unit of the World War II. “Why I Love a Country That Once Betrayed Me” TED Talk: George Takei Extension Questions 1. What can we, the viewers, learn from George’s story? 2. Why is it important for people to share their experiences with injustice? 3. George tells the story of young Japanese Americans who volunteered to serve in the U.S military — despite facing racism, discrimination and imprisonment. What do you think you would do in a similar situation? 4. Why do you think Japanese Americans were interned while most Italian Americans and German Americans were not? 5. George’s dad, who suffered the most under the conditions of Japanese American internment, said to George: “Our democracy is a people's democracy, and it can be as great as the people can be, but it is also as fallible as people are.” What does he mean by this? What does the word “fallible” mean? 6. Could something like this happen today? Why or why not?
