3.The internment was unjust
As we saw above, the internees were not criminals. The 62% of them were American citizens, who were children (Nisei) of the first-generation immigrants (Issei). Isseis had not been allowed to become American citizens since the Immigration Act of 1924 was in effect (“Japanese American internment”). In the U.S. legal system, anyone born in the U.S. was a citizen (birthright citizenship or jus solis, Ng 5). Niseis were called ‘non-aliens’ by U.S. government, although most of them were American citizens (Daniels; Gruenewald 32). Japanese Americans, both Issei and Nisei, irrespective of their legal status whether they were non-citizens (aliens) or citizens (‘non-aliens’), were deprived of basic human right, or freedom to live where they choose. This violation of human right inevitably resulted in loss of properties. Many of Japanese Americans were engaged in agriculture. Before the internment, many farmers had to sell their properties, usually at great financial losses, because they didn’t have enough time to prepare the deal. Others had to stop their business because of the internment, which also resulted in the loss of properties. Mary Matsuda Gruenewald, who is a Nisei Japanese American and was a 17 years-old girl in 1942, wrote that her family had only eight days left at home when they realized that they have to leave their home for the internment (31).
The internment was also against the Constitution of the United Sates. The Fifth Amendment states, “No person…shall be deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.” Article 1, Section 9 does not explicitly state but does imply that habeas corpus (legal action for internment) must be decided by the Congress. However, the internment was actually ordered by President Franklin Roosevelt by signing Executive Order 9066, and was not decided by the Congress. There was a controversy between War Department, demanding the mass removal based on military necessity, and Department of Justice, which generally considered it unnecessary. The former persuaded the latter, and in the end both Departments recommended the internment to the President (tenBroek, Barnhart, and Matson 99-112). After the end of the war, it turned out that Americans working in the occupation of Japan could not find any evidence that Japanese Americans helped Japan (Robinson 57).
Thus, we can conclude that the internment was unjust because it was a violation of human right and because it was against the U.S. Constitution. However, one could argue that the internment was a necessary evil for the national security, just like atomic bombs were necessary to end the war. Alternatively, one could still argue that the internment was wrong because it was caused by discrimination. So, the question is now as follows. Can the internment be justified? There are two contentions related to discrimination of race and class.
ラベル:北アメリカ
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