7.+Japanese+Internment+(Issei+and+Nisei)

Elizabeth Kerian U.S. History II   October 21, 2008

Hello, my name is Fred Korematsu. I was born on January 30, 1919 to a family of Japanese immigrants living in Oakland, California (“Fred” 1). I am part of the second generation of Japanese immigrants, or Nisei, meaning I was born here in the U.S. and am a Japanese American (“Japanese” 1). On December 7, 1941, the lives of Japanese Americans as well as all Americans would be changed forever; this was the  day that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor (Danzer et al. 594; “Fred” 1; “Japanese” 1). The Japanese American citizens knew immediately that we would be target of great suspicion, but we considered ourselves much Americanized, we even had  Japanese joining the U.S. army. We did everything we could to help America prepare for and wage the war against Japan (Tsukmaoto 193). But still by February of the next year, 1942, FDR had signed an executive order granting the military the power to seize anyone living on the west coast, therefore it was legal when the military came and forced all Japanese to leave their homes for prison camps (Danzer et al. 594; “Japanese” 1). I, however, resisted the internment, or confinement, to these prison camps, I had a wonderful Italian American fiancé and I was not going to just leave my home. So I took up the alias Clyde Sarah and had surgery preformed on my eyelids so I looked more from Caucasian descent (“Fred” 1). But today, May 30, 1942, I have been arrested and taken into prison. To my surprise though, I was approached by Ernest Besig, director of the northern California branch of the American Civil Liberties Union. He asked me if I was interested in challenging the constitutionality of the evacuation order. And, of course, I said yes (“Fred” 1). But now that I have been discovered, I’m not sure what will happen, hopefully they won’t send me to a prison camp, but I can’t be sure.



Danzer, Gerald A., et al. __The Americans Reconstruction to the 21st Century__. Evanston: Mcdougal Littell, 2003. “Fred Korematsu.” __American History__. 2008. ABC-CLIO. Hunterdon Central Regional High School. 20 Oct. 2008. “The Japanese Internment: World War II (Overview).” __American History__. 2008. ABC-CLIO. Hunterdon Central Regional High School. 20 Oct. 2008. Tsukamoto, Mary. “To Do What Was American.” __Ordinary Americans__. Ed. Linda R. Monk. Alexandria: Close Up Publishing, 1994. 192-4.