Japanese Internment &

Korematsu v. United States

MAST High SchoolU.S. History – Period 4

Ms. Richardson

Attack on Pearl Harbor (Dec. 7th, 1941)

• Immediate impact: U.S. declares war on Japan

entering WWII.

• 2,400 dead / 1,178 wounded

• 300 aircrafts damaged/destroyed

• 19 battleship/destroyers/ cruisers – damaged/destroyed

Executive Order 9066 • When: February 19, 1942

• Japanese-Americans had to evacuate [leave] the

West Coast.

• Relocation of approximately 120,000 people to internment camps.

Korematsu v. United States (1944)

• Fred Korematsu: American-born citizen of Japanese descent refused to leave his home in California (violating Executive Order 9066).

• Was convicted, he appealed, and in 1944 his case reached the Supreme Court.– The Court agreed with gov’t – The need to protect the country was a greater priority

than the individual rights of the Japanese and Japanese Americans.

War & Civil Liberties

• Espionage Act – 1917

-Made it illegal to interfere with military operations, including the draft.

- $10,000 fine/20 years

• Sedition Act (1918-1921)

-Made it illegal to criticize the government (anti-war & unpatriotic sentiments).

Atomic Bomb (August 1945)• U.S. dropped atomic bomb on

Hiroshima-wiped out 90% of the city

-immediately killed 80,000 people

-tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure.

• U.S. dropped atomic bomb Nagasaki-Approximately 40,000 dead