Topic 11: World War II

 Topic 11: World War II

1. War against fascism
2. The domestic front: “total war,” military Keynesianism; Rosie the Riveter; the Bracero Program
3. Japanese internment

Gentlemen's agreement act - halts Japanese immigration, the view that they cannot truly assimilate

Discuss the experience of Japanese American internment during World War II. Make sure to include the following terms in your answer:  

The Japanese were able to create families when they migrated because both men and women migrated equally to the US. (different than the Chinese) 

fifth-column - domestic sabotage. The belief that the enemy race was already infiltrated into the US (Japanese) & they would commit espionage and sabotage

Orientalism - the ideology that sprang up during the age of European imperialism. Because they were culturally different they could not assimilate. The belief is that the world is divided into two parts. Orient (Asia and the Middle East) and Occidental World (Europe). The oriental world was "So different, then the two worlds could not meld"

‘perpetual foreigner’- this ideal that Asians were perpetual foreigners, that they can never assimilate

Nisei - 2nd generation of Japanese born in the US. 

Issei - refers to the very first generation of immigrants coming from Japan. Many go to Hawaii & coming to the west coast

the 'politics of incarceration'- (tension between 'military necessity' and 'constitutional freedoms') contradiction between constitutional freedom & military necessity. Gov plays a role in heightening paranoia to get American citizens on board with Media sensationalism. (False reports of Japanese ships/plans & Japanese-American sabotage.  

Executive Order 9066 - Roosevelt signed to order the evacuation of anyone of Japanese descent to relocation centers to get them away from the factories of war. 120,000 people & 2/3 of them were American Citizens. 

General DeWitt - "The Occidental Eye can not distinguish one Japanese from another" as a reason for internment

Korematsu case - Fred Korematsu decided not to go into the internment camp and instead began making war material in the factory with other Americans. FBI caught him & civil rights case was lost. 

Endo case - 1945 - defeat was imminent & it was found unconstitutional & they were released

442nd Regiment - Japnese-America young men joined the war and fought in the war. Most decorated regimen in history - 18,000 awards in all

How can we link General DeWitt’s statement to the ‘underlying reason’ behind internment?

The official reason was "Military Necessity" (national security)

When asked why - "racial affinities are not severed by migration"/ "the racial strains are undiluted" / Japanese, barred from assimilation by convention as he is, though born and raised in the US, will not turn against this nation when the final test of loyalty comes." - DeWitt

- not trustworthy, cannot trust their loyalty

- their racial connection is too strong to break from Japan (Orientalism)

- Orientalism & perpetual foreigner

What didn’t the Japanese protest en masse and how did Japanese Americans demonstrate their loyalty to the United States?

How would they be perceived if they did? They would be seen as lawbreakers & reinforce the fear. It would reinforce the negative image of the Japanese-Americans as not trustworthy but un-American. The only thing they could do was obey. 

How did they demonstrate their loyalty?

- obeying the law

- Draft in the Interment Camp - Many young men joined the war and fought in the war

American Yawp terms: 

Double-V campaign

Bracero Program

“Rosie the Riveter”