Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Friday, January 27
    Trending
    • This Day in History on January 27th
    • History Short: Who Really Invented the Light Bulb?
    • Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)
    • This Day in History on January 26th
    • History Short: Who is the Octomom?
    • This Day in History on January 25th
    • History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh
    • Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!
    History and Headlines
    • Arts & Entertainment
      • Cinema & TV
      • Games
      • Literature
      • Music
      • Sports
      • Video Games
    • Bizarre Bulletin
      • Misconceptions
      • The Bizarre
      • The Paranormal
      • The Unexplained
    • Lifestyle
      • Animals/Pets
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Health/Medicine
      • Home Improvement
      • Horoscopes
      • Travel
    • Science & Tech
      • Inventions
      • Nature
      • Vehicles
    • Society
      • Business and Economics
      • Crime
      • Military
      • Politics
      • Religion
      • Society
    • About
      • Welcome to Our Site!
      • This Day in History
      • Table of Contents: A History of the World
      • Online History Textbooks
      • A Guide to Some of Our Favorite Scholars and Educators
      • Advance Screenings and Movie Reviews Archive
      • Schedule of Video Adaptations of Our Articles
    • Friends
      • Armchair History TV
      • Fact Fiend
      • RealClearHistory
      • Simply Charly
      • TopTenz
      • ​Unique Interpretations
    History and Headlines
    You are at:Home»February»February 24»February 24, 1942: Forced Internment of Japanese During World War II
    February 24

    February 24, 1942: Forced Internment of Japanese During World War II

    Major DanBy Major DanFebruary 24, 2017Updated:February 12, 202024 Comments4 Mins Read
    Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Tumblr Twitter VKontakte WhatsApp

    A Brief History

    On February 24, 1942, the government passed a law under the “War Measures Act” allowing the government to relocate and intern citizens of Japanese origin.  The government that enacted this law was the Canadian federal government!  The sorry history of the United States treating its own Japanese citizens in such a hysterical and racist manner is far more well documented and familiar to Americans, and little attention is paid to the fact our genial neighbors to the North did the same thing.

    Digging Deeper

    On February 24, 1983, the United States Congress Special Commission passed a resolution condemning the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, over 40 years late for an apology!  The US internment had taken place from February 19, 1942 (Executive Order 9066) and lasted until March 20, 1945.  The “relocated” Japanese Americans were forced to quit their jobs and sell their property, usually at enormous loss and move with only those items they could carry.  Sent to hastily constructed camps with armed guards and barbed wire, it was as if these innocent Americans were prisoners.  (They were.)  The West Coast of the United States was stripped of Japanese Americans, but curiously in Hawaii where Japanese Americans made up a third of the population, only about 10% were interned.

    President Carter ordered an investigation into this shameful chapter of American History, and in 1988 President Reagan signed into law the Civil Liberties Act that apologized to the Japanese Americans interned and authorized a $20,000 payment (reparations) to each person surviving that had been interned.  Of course, this paltry amount did not come close to making up for the ruined lives the internment had caused.  Various investigations into the internment policy found that differences of opinion existed among government employees and advisers, and that those reports and opinions against internment were covered up.

    It is often pointed out that Italian and German Americans were not interned, although we were at war with those countries during World War II, but in fact small numbers of German and Italian Americans were interned, sometimes in the same camps as the Japanese Americans!

    After Canada followed the American lead and interned Japanese Canadians under the Defence of Canada Regulations, the Canadian government seized the property of the internees, justifying this grab by claiming the sale of this property would fund the government relocation program.  While the American “relocation” or “internment” camps have been characterized as actually being concentration camps, the Canadians did without the pretext and sent Japanese Canadians to prisoner of war camps, including stables, barnyards, and unheated shacks.  The Canadian atrocity did not end until 1949 when full voting and citizenship rights were finally restored to Japanese Canadians. Mass deportation to Japan was mandated for many Japanese Canadians after the War!  Intense discrimination and restrictive laws also followed the War.

    In 1988, the Canadian government, facing the same sort of activism that prompted US apologies and reparations, issued an apology and a payment of $21,000 to each surviving internee.

    Today, with hindsight, the rough treatment of Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians seems harsh and racially motivated, and had no substantial evidence of being necessary other than hysteria.  Question for students (and subscribers): Is the current situation with Muslim Americans and Muslim Canadians likewise a case of hysteria and racial hatred over-ruling logic and facts?  Please feel free to give us your opinion about the World War II internment of Japanese in Canada and the US, and whether or not such action (to a greater or lesser extent) should be taken to regulate Muslims in the US and Canada in the comments section below this article.

    If you liked this article and would like to receive notification of new articles, please feel welcome to subscribe to History and Headlines by liking us on Facebook and becoming one of our patrons!

    Your readership is much appreciated!

    Historical Evidence

    For more information, please see…

    Inada, Lawson Fusao, Patricia Wakida, et al.  Only What We Could Carry: The Japanese American Internment Experience.  Heyday, 2014.

    Reeves, Richard.  Infamy: The Shocking Story of the Japanese American Internment in World War II.  Picador, 2016.

    Share. Email Facebook LinkedIn Pinterest Reddit Telegram Twitter Tumblr
    Previous ArticleFebruary 23, 2017: Off Duty LA Cop Fires Shot in Fight With Teens
    Next Article February 25, 1836: Sam Colt Patents His Revolver
    Major Dan

    Major Dan is a retired veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He served during the Cold War and has traveled to many countries around the world. Prior to his military service, he graduated from Cleveland State University, having majored in sociology. Following his military service, he worked as a police officer eventually earning the rank of captain prior to his retirement.

    Related Posts

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: The Rise and Fall of Sir Walter Raleigh

    January 25, 2023

    Headline: The Doomsday Clock Has Moved Closer to Midnight Than Ever Before!

    January 24, 2023
    Follow Us!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Patreon
    Sign Up For Our Newsletter!
    Most Recent

    This Day in History on January 27th

    January 27, 2023

    History Short: Who Really Invented the Light Bulb?

    January 27, 2023

    Animated Map of the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine (through January 26th, 2023)

    January 26, 2023

    This Day in History on January 26th

    January 26, 2023

    History Short: Who is the Octomom?

    January 26, 2023
    This Day in History Video

    Advertisements




    Amazon Affiliate Disclosure Statement

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases via links in the “Historical Evidence” sections of articles.

    About HistoryAndHeadlines.com

    Thanks for visiting History and Headlines!  This site exists primarily for educational purposes and is intended as a resource for Dr. Zar’s students.  Articles are mostly written by either Dr. Zar or his dad (Major Dan).  To any guest readers, please keep that in mind when commenting on articles.   Thank you!

    We try to present our students with historical topics that are both diverse and a bit out of the ordinary.  Our motto is “We try until we succeed!”

    Contact us at admin@historyandheadlines.com

    Guidelines and Policies for Images used on This Site, as well as for Guest and Sponsored Articles, and Other Terms of Use

    Privacy Statement

    © 2022 History and Headlines

    All-Time Most Commented

    July 28, 1866: 18 Year Old Girl Wins Commission to Sculpt Statue of Lincoln (A Truly Great American Woman)

    July 28, 2014

    December 24, 1865: Birth of the Ku Klux Klan

    December 24, 2015

    December 25, 1868: President Johnson Pardons all Confederate Veterans

    December 25, 2015

    February 5, 1909: First Plastic Invented was called Bakelite!

    February 5, 2014

    November 23, 1876: “Boss” Tweed Turned Over to Authorities

    November 23, 2013
    Recommended Book
    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

    You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

    History and Headlines
    Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

    Strictly Necessary Cookies

    Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

    If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.