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During World War II the United States Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of interning American citizens of Japanese ancestry in what has been called the "the darkest hour in the Court's history." (Stanley, 1994, p.87) In 1980, Congress established the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians to investigate the events that led to Executive Order No. 9066. The investigation concluded that there was no legal or moral basis for Japanese internment and that the evacuation was caused by "race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership." (Stanley, 1994, p. 87) The report recommended a payment of $20,000 to each internee and that the government apologize for the illegal act. Congress accepted the recommendations and the government ultimately paid $38,474,140 in property claims to Japanese Americans. (Daniels, 1972, p. 168) This was less than 10 percent of their value in 1942. (Stanley, 1994, p. 87) The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 repealed the Immigration Act of 1924 and allowed Issei to become naturalized citizens. In 1987 the Court finally declared Japanese internment unconstitutional, calling it "one of the worst violations of civil liberties in American history." (Stanley, 1994, p. 87-88) Additional information: Looking Back. (2008) National Parks, 82(1), 12-13. Click on the link below to access the article and interview. http://www.npca.org/magazine/2008/winter/qa-looking-back.htmlNagata, D. K. (1991). Transgenerational impact of the Japanese-American internment: Clinical issues in working with children of former internees. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 28(1), 121-128. doi:10.1037/0033-3204.28.1.121 Click on PDF file below to access article.
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 Cemetery shrine at Manzanar Japanese internment camp. (Owens Valley, California - looking west toward the Sierra Nevada) Photo by: Daniel Mayer Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manzanar |
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