Japanese Interment Camps

Japanese Interment Camps

How would you like it if you had suddenly had 24 hours to pack, and in that short allotted time? That is exactly what happened to the Japanese-Americans in the year of 1942, directly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The reason form the U.S. government is that they didn't want to have an inside accomplice that was aiding the enemy. They order was given by Theodore Roosevelt, and his word caused many "Relocation" or "Isolation" camps to spring up throughout the U.S. , including Canada.

The location of these camps varied - they each had their own region. A region normally consisted of 2-3 states. All the people with any type of Japanese heritage would be sent here and watched over closely so they could try any "Funny Business". The United States didn't want them to escalate the war situation and aid the Japanese in any way. This is similar to what we did recently - after 9/11-- with the whole situation in the Middle East when Muslims would try to board a plane and since they look suspicious they were kicked off the plane. This caused much aggravation in the U.S. with all the people with Muslim heritage; they thought it could be a repeat of what happened in 1942.

The camps or these "Relocation" centers were not any Ritz Carleton, they were poorly put together. They were made in such a hurry that the doors would fall off and there were gaps in the walls. This was because there was no sign of war pre-hand and they had no clue that they were going to have to take extreme measures. The camps were all made into cabin form, and were tightly packed together so they didn't waste room.

When the people were placed in these camps they were forced to do work. Some of the jobs that they endured in were; Gardening, Planting, Landscaping, Cleaning, Cooking, Digging Irrigation Ditches, and many other things that involve hard labor. If they didn't do and complete their work, they were punished and confined to smaller and less luxurious quarters, sometimes pictures of loved ones would be taken away.

What many people don't know is that there were numerous "Relocation" camps in Canada. This was also don't out of security measures directed by Theodore. These Camps also held the "Prisoners of War" for an elongated amount of time. When most of the other camps stopped in the