The internment of Japanese-, German- and Italian-Americans during Research Paper

The internment of Japanese-, German- and Italian-Americans during World War II - Research Paper Example This internment was authorized by President Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 under the Executive Order 9066. The wartime incarceration of the Japanese Americans was the biggest mistake made by the Americans which they can only regret by erecting memorial such as that in the national Capitol which reminds them of the 120,000 Japanese American kept in the concentration camp and 26,000 who served in the US army during World War II or by doing extensive and exhaustive research so as to prove their guilt for the action1. The World War II brought with it a series of actions and events which affected Japanese Americans in many ways. The attack on Pearl Harbor along with the overpowering Japanese offensive through the Pacific as well as the Southeast Asia was a stun to the American military leaders as well as the civilian leaders. The US Navy had long realized that the Japan was the most expected enemy since its defeat of the Czarist Russia in 1905. As a result the American intelligence agenci es had made a pre-war plan to ensure the interning of certain enemy â€Å"aliens†.2 Daniels clearly states that the internment of the Japanese American was merely a â€Å"lawless exercise of power by the executive branch† although both the Congress and the Supreme Court gave an absolution for the action. He also draws a distinction between internment and incarceration; since the notion that the Japanese American citizens were treated like members of the Holocaust in â€Å"concentration camps† was considered an abuse to them it was referred by the Americans as â€Å"Assembly Centers† or â€Å"Relocation Centers†. This shows how the treatment of the Japanese Americans was packed with euphemisms.3 It is also been observed by researchers such as Schidkraut that the impact of the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in 2001 has revived the American national consciousness with regard to the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941. This compels one to deeply investigate into the role of American identity in response to the terrorist attacks which have taken place so far. US population underwent an ethnic makeup in real and dramatic scenarios which occurred quite rapidly during World Wars. This led to a change in sentiments of the natives during the mid 1990s. The role of media during the World War II was severe and extremely brutal in terms of American national consciousness. This was evident by the following piece of information recollected by Schidkraut, â€Å"During WWII, media commentators said we need not worry that bombing cities in Japan might kill innocent civilians because there was no such thing as an innocent Japanese civilian.†4 Studying from the perspective of the Japanese-American and what they went through when they learnt of this incarceration, several researches reveal how hard it was for the Japanese Americans to pack their bags and leave the comfort of their homes to a seclusion which had no prescribed limit. At first they were taken to the Assembly Centers from where they were to be moved to the relocation centers. For others it was known as either the internment or to be kept in the concentration camps. This was the beginning of the loss of freedom for the Japanese Americans. The Americans started to marginalize any outsider or immigrant from any other country including Japan. They called such people aliens. Those aliens who entered the US legally were eligible to apply for citizenship later