During WWII more than 127,000 Japanese-American citizens were imprisoned because of their Japanese ancestry, they were suspected to be loyal to their country. (Japanese Internment Camp Facts) A very broad amount of people were taken away from their everyday lives and put into a life of sadness and discouragement.
The individuals and families that were taken to the camps were forced to quickly sell any property that belonged to them. (51e. Japanese American Internment) All of the family's belongings were ripped away from their hand with no questions asked, nobody was allowed to bring anything with them. (Harris) Until the Internment camps were completed, most people had to be held in temporary centers, such as local racetracks and stables. (51e. Japanese American Internment) Many camps were located in remote, desolate, and uninhabitable areas. There were 10 internment camps established across the country, mostly on the west coast. The camps were very similar to prisons that the U.S. has now days. They were surrounded with barbed wire borders and guards in watchtowers. Eventually work became a routine and adults got put in to do lots of labor. To add onto that, at the camps the housing arrangements often had entire families all together in small one room cells/barracks. For meals the prisoners were fed 3 times a day. Meals were served in long mess halls, bells signaled their mealtime. Food portions were described as small, starchy, and dull. They work that they did in the camps were meant to copy normal Japanese ways. (Kent) As for the children, they were expected to attend school. The U.S. government hoped that the adults that did work could produce food by farming. Furthermore, many people, not only family members, shared small living spaces. The pubic areas around the camp served the personal needs. After a while, life at the camps did settle into routines. Adults did whatever they could to make living quarters more accommodating. As residents performed the necessary jobs to run the camps. The barbed wire fences and watchtowers always remained in place. Outside of the camps people became owners of the property/businesses the Japanese had to sell as they were being evacuated. The people put up signs on the business windows saying “no japs allowed”. The Japanese Internment Camps were depicted very harsh and very much impacted the people that fulfilled them. By many peoples opinions, the camps changed the way the country depicted people of the Japanese heritage forever.
The individuals and families that were taken to the camps were forced to quickly sell any property that belonged to them. (51e. Japanese American Internment) All of the family's belongings were ripped away from their hand with no questions asked, nobody was allowed to bring anything with them. (Harris) Until the Internment camps were completed, most people had to be held in temporary centers, such as local racetracks and stables. (51e. Japanese American Internment) Many camps were located in remote, desolate, and uninhabitable areas. There were 10 internment camps established across the country, mostly on the west coast. The camps were very similar to prisons that the U.S. has now days. They were surrounded with barbed wire borders and guards in watchtowers. Eventually work became a routine and adults got put in to do lots of labor. To add onto that, at the camps the housing arrangements often had entire families all together in small one room cells/barracks. For meals the prisoners were fed 3 times a day. Meals were served in long mess halls, bells signaled their mealtime. Food portions were described as small, starchy, and dull. They work that they did in the camps were meant to copy normal Japanese ways. (Kent) As for the children, they were expected to attend school. The U.S. government hoped that the adults that did work could produce food by farming. Furthermore, many people, not only family members, shared small living spaces. The pubic areas around the camp served the personal needs. After a while, life at the camps did settle into routines. Adults did whatever they could to make living quarters more accommodating. As residents performed the necessary jobs to run the camps. The barbed wire fences and watchtowers always remained in place. Outside of the camps people became owners of the property/businesses the Japanese had to sell as they were being evacuated. The people put up signs on the business windows saying “no japs allowed”. The Japanese Internment Camps were depicted very harsh and very much impacted the people that fulfilled them. By many peoples opinions, the camps changed the way the country depicted people of the Japanese heritage forever.
Works Cited
History.com Staff. "Japanese-American Relocation." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
"Japanese Internment Camps Facts." Japanese Internment Camps Facts. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
"Japanese-American Internment." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
"Living Conditions of Japanese American Internment Camps." Period 3's LA Wiki /. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
Margins, By People In The. "10 Shameful Facts About Japanese-American Internment - Listverse." Listverse. 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
History.com Staff. "Japanese-American Relocation." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
"Japanese Internment Camps Facts." Japanese Internment Camps Facts. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
"Japanese-American Internment." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
"Living Conditions of Japanese American Internment Camps." Period 3's LA Wiki /. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
Margins, By People In The. "10 Shameful Facts About Japanese-American Internment - Listverse." Listverse. 25 Oct. 2014. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.