LAD #35: Home was a Horse Stall

Reaction One:

The story about Sox is heartbreaking because of how many Asian Americans were

 treated as if they were not human, just because of their race. The prevalence of racial issues only increases during war times and Japanese internment camps are just one example. From being forced to live in an abandoned horse stall, to being stripped of the basic privacies that humans should have. When all of the Asian Americans were being moved to the camps, Sox noticed that only two white Americans came to say goodbye to them. All of the people Sox thought were her friends were too afraid to even be associated with Sox and her family.

Reaction Two:

Sox's story made me incredibly mad. Why are people not aware of this crime America committed in times of war. Our Internment Camps mirrored the Concentration Camps of the Germans during the same war. Both were images of racial discrimination that forced their inhabitants to reside in undesirable circumstances. Although the Japanese Internment Camps were less extreme than the Concentration Camps, they were still a violation of basic human rights.

Reaction Three:

I was shocked at the extent to which Americans, who had expressed their focus on universal freedoms and independence. However, it is clear that as you study American history, Americans themselves have been the cause of many individuals being stripped of these freedoms. Japanese Americans during WWII are just one example. This story has only cemented the fact in my mind that America has not been the host of universal freedom throughout its entire history.

Executive Order FDR used to create Japanese Internment Camps:

Executive Order 9066 and the Civilian Exclusion Order No. 27

How was the story repaired in 1988:

The president sought to find ways that would compensate Asian Americans. In 1947, all Japanese Americans, who resisted the draft, received a presidential pardon. Additionally, in the following year, the Evacuation Claims Act attempted to provide partial repayment for lost or stolen items, but the slow moving process incited much criticism. The Executive Order 9066 was revoked in 1976 and the American government formerly apologized to Japanese Americans. Finally, in 1988, the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians investigated the event, which resulted in the passage of the Civil Liberties Act. This piece of legislature gave each surviving internee $20,000 as reparation for their hardships. Additionally, this Act was responsible for establishing a fund for educating people about the internment experience.

The Executive Order 9066 was used to create Japanese Internment Camps

Anti-German Sentiment During WWI

Japanese Americans are not the only group of immigrants who faced discrimination in America. Unsurprisingly, war only increases these tensions as immigrants from nations who America fought are often faced with discrimination. For example, in both world wars, Germany was painted as the true enemy as America pledged their allegiance to the allied powers. Even though this was justified by Germany's Concentration Camps during WWII, the propaganda spread during WWI was exaggerated to gain the support of the American public for the war.