Japanese Americans, At Home, In Camp
Historical and Cultural Context
•
History of discrimination against Japanese and Japanese Americans
•
Immigration from Japan: illegal until 1890
•
Exclusionists wanted to extend Exclusion Act of 1882 to Japanese (it had
targeted Chinese)
•
Restrictive quotas: “Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1907”” stipulated how many
Japanese would be allowed into the US each year
•
Prohibited unskilled workers
•
In US, unions excluded Japanese; barred from holding professional
positions;
•
Early 20th century, school districts segregated Japanese students from white
students.
History of Japanese immigration
• Between 1910 and 1920, “Protective leagues pressured legislature
to restrict the economic power of Japanese immigrants.
• 1913 California passed Alien Land Law: “aliens as ineligible for
citizenship could not own agricultural property, could only lease
lands for 3 years and could not bequeath land to other aliens
ineligible to citizenship; could not hold more than 50% of the stock in
any landowning corporation.
• To get around this families put the titles and leases into eh names of
their American-born children
• 1920, law passed making it illegal to put titles/leases in Americanborn children’s names
Japanese Americans
• Denied US citizenship based on race
• Unlike European immigrants, Japanese
immigrants denied naturalized citizenship:
citing a 1790 law that restricted citizenship
to whites; upheld as late as 1922.
• In 1924 Johnson-Reed Act passed,
allowing only “racially eligible” immigrants
in, cutting off immigration from Japan
almost completely.
• Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 changed
demographics of Japanese American
community: gap grows between
• Issei: first generation born in Japan
• Nissei: second-generation born in US
• Discrimination in society causes Japanese
Americans to isolate themselves, retain cultural
heritage longer than most immigrant groups.
Children taught Japanese language and culture
in schools parents established
• Discrimination reemerged after US
entered WWII, Dec. 7, 1941.
• Fear and prevalent racial stereotypes of
the time caused US government to treat
Japanese Americans differently than
European immigrants (Germans and
Italians)
• Searches of private residences,
surveillance, search and seizure
Work:
agriculture, commercial fishing and canning
industries
Majority of berries and vegetables grown in
California
Urban service economies: restaurants,
hotels and shops
Ethic: work hard, academic achievement
Evacuation and Internment
• February 19, 1942, Pres. Roosevelt signed
Executive Order 9066: authorized removal of
Japanese and Japanese Americans from West
Coast
• 2-3 days notice, bedding and 2 suitcases
• Bused to holding areas (racetracks,
fairgrounds), then by train detention centers
inland
• Many lost land, homes and businesses
• Loyalty questionaires in camp
• 20,000 eligible for service
• “No, No” boys: refused to fight for country
that violated their rights as citizens
• “Fighting 442nd”: fought, highly decorated
• 1945, US Supreme Court rules internment
had been unconstitutional
• 1988 formal apology and $20,000
reparation for each surviving internee
Telling Stories, Leaving a Legacy
• Internees, their children and families
continued to be affected by the camp
experience
• The opposite of history is silence
• The stories must be told: address issues
of silence and shame
• In giving voice to the experience of one’s
ancestors, one serves as a witness.