About
Japanese American Internment camps
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, people thought that the Japanese were planning another attack. They thought that the Japanese were too close to essential areas in the US. FDR listened to these complaints, in 1942 he made the 9066 order to send all the Japanese descendants to live in camps run by the military. The camps were made on old race tracks and big pieces of land. The Japanese had only 6 days to pack up their belongings. They sold their houses for a lot less than they paid. As of 1941 Japanese Americans communities had been growing in the US for over 50 years and about â…“ of them were immigrants. Many of them had settled on the west coast and have been living there for decades. And the rest were born American citizens. About 80,000 children living in these camps. Also, around 120,000 people were brought to the camps.
Story of Aki
Kurose
First An Internment Camp was a camp that Japanese Americans were put into because people thought that the japs were spies and planing to bomb them again for the attack of Pearl Harbor. As of 1941 Japanese Americans communities had been growing in the US for over 50 years and about â…“ of them were immigrants. Many of them had settled on the west coast and have been living there for decades. And the rest were born American citizens. About 80,000 children living in these camps.
On December 7th, 1941 16-year-old Aki Kurose shared in the horror of many Americans when Japanese plains attacked pearl harbor what she did not know is that that moment would change her life forever. Aki was born in the US where some other Japanese Americans settled near the west coast and had been living there for decades. Aki grew up in a very diverse neighborhood where she never thought of her self as anything besides an American. One day she went to school and one of her teachers told her the day after the attack said you people bombed pearl harbor. People labeled Japanese Americans as traitors and spies. And that's when on February 19th, 1942 president FDR issued executive order 9066 which took away all Japanese Americans from military areas. The government froze bank accounts and made local restrictions and curfews which caused many people not able to leave. With Aki's family among them. In may Aki and her family got moved along with 7,000 other japs living in Seattle to Camp Harmony in Washington. These camps were made on racetracks built almost like stables. There were so many people that Aki got moved to Minidoka in Idaho. These camps were armed with soldiers and barbed wire. The camps were very overcrowded and unsanitary. If someone got sick they would rarely get the medical attention they need. Forced work was something that kept the camps running. Teachers would teach during the day and some farmers would plant crops and have some livestock. A lot of people would order labor strikes. But Aki's family would always try to stick with it knowing that they did nothing wrong and they would try their best to recreate life outside home as much as possible. Like many other people, Aki was determined to leave her camp. She finished her final year of high school at Minidoka (the camp). She was able to enroll at Friends University. For Aki’s family, things would not start to change until late 1944. The war ended and camps closed down. They were given 25$ and a train ticket to their pre-war homes. But many no longer had a job or home to return to. Aki’s family had been able to keep their apartment and Aki eventually got to return to Seattle after college. Aki became a teacher. 3 years after their apology Aki was awarded the Human rights Award from the Seattle chapter of the united nations celebrating her vision of peace and respect for people of all backgrounds.
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Link to Video about Aki Kurose