The term “Japanese internment camps” refers to the ten centers created to incarcerate many Japanese Americans in 1942. The camps were established following the Executive Order 9066 signed by President Franklin Roosevelt. The camps were in Arizona, Idaho, California, Utah, Colorado, Arkansas, and Wyoming (Nicholas and Scherbina 282). The targeted Japanese Americans were forced to dispose their assets and property.
Statistics have indicated that over 120,000 individuals were forced into such camps (Nicholas and Scherbina 289). The idea to imprison the Japanese Americans emerged six weeks after the Pearl Harbor attack in December 1941. According to many Americans at the time, the Japanese were using different tactics to disorient the war effort in the nation. The historical significance of the internment of the Japanese Americans is that it attracted the attention of many scholars.
Experts in legal affairs have indicated that the malpractice was against the Fifth Amendment since it affected the liberties and rights of individuals who qualified to be American citizens. Additionally, the deplorable experience has indicated clearly that the existing laws were incapable of protecting the rights of the citizens.
Works Cited
Nicholas, Tom, and Anna Scherbina. “Real Estate Prices During the Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression.” Real Estate Economics, vol. 41, no. 1, 2013, pp. 275-309.