"...May it serve as a constant reminder of
our past so that Americans in future will never again be denied their
constitutional rights and may the remembrance of that experience serve to
advance the evolution of the human spirit..."
Following the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 the United States was gripped by war
hysteria. This was especially strong along the Pacific coast of the U.S. where
residents feared more Japanese attacks on their cities, homes and businesses.
Leaders in California, Oregon, and Washington demanded that the residents of
Japanese ancestry be removed from their homes along the coast and relocated in
isolated inland areas. As a result of this pressure, on February 19, 1942,
President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which resulted in the forcible
internment of 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry. More than two-thirds of those
interned under the Executive Order were citizens of the United States, and none
had ever shown any disloyalty. The War Relocation Authority was created to
administer the assembly centers, relocation centers, and internment camps.
Relocation of Japanese-Americans began in April 1942. Internment camps
were scattered all over the interior West in isolated desert areas of Arizona,
California, Utah, Idaho, Colorado, and Wyoming where Japanese-Americans were
forced to carry on their lives under harsh conditions. Executive Order 9066 was
rescinded by President Roosevelt in 1944 and the last of the camps was closed in
March, 1946.
The Task
Your
group will be creating a Hyperstudio, Power Point or Storybook Weaver
documentary to be shown on the television to help your classmates understand
what happened to American citizens of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
You
will use books, software and view web sites in order to learn about this time
period in American history and to answer the following questions in your
presentation:
1.
The rationale of the U. S. government for ordering
Japanese-Americans
into internment camps
2.
The point of view of Japanese-Americans
2.
The meaning of war hysteria
3.
The daily life of the people in the camps
4.
What the U. S. government has done to make restitution to the people who
were interned
5.
Explain the meaning of the quote in the above introduction
6.
How were these rights which are guaranteed under the first
amendment to the Constitution violated?
Freedom of religion, Freedom of Speech, Freedom of the Press, Right To
Assemble, and Right to Petition
7.
Difference between Issei (pronounced E-say) and Issei
(pronounced
Nee-say)
8.
Why the Japanese- Americans were more vulnerable than
the
German- Americans during World War II
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Inside
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Resources
Web:
Books:
-
Endo, Takako, Japanese
American Journey. San Francisco: JACP Inc., 1985
History, biographies and short stories
about Japanese Americans
-
Hiroto, Edwin Through
Innocent Eyes. Los Angeles: Keiro Services, 1990
Writing and art by school children in camp
in Poston, AZ
-
Japanese
Americans, The Untold Story. Japanese
American Curriculum Project.
New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston,
Inc., 1971
Short history of Japanese-Americans
including internment camp experiences
-
Uchida, Yoshiko, Journey
Home. N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1978.
Sequel
To Journey To Topaz and depicts
hardships and joy Yuki and her family experience
upon their return to California from internment camp
-
Uchida, Yoshiko, Journey
To Topaz. N.Y : Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1971
Story of an 11 year old
and her family uprooted from their California home and sent to Topaz during
World War II
-
Uchida, Yoshiko, Desert Exile,
The Uprooting of a Japanese-American Family. University of Washington Press: 1982
Evaluation
Your
evaluation will be based on the following:
1.
Overall Presentation
Flow, interest level, all questions answered
2.
Use of Technology
Appropriate layout, function of scroll bars, buttons,
etc.
3.
Product Mechanics
Edited text, accurate maps and graphs
4.
Creativity and Depth
Accurate and insightful research and information,
visually appealing, appropriate audio
Conclusion
Is it possible to achieve world
peace today? Explain your reasons.
What can fifth graders do to work toward world peace?
