English 210: When The Emperor Was Divine (Japanese American Internment Resources): Historical Context

See full text provided by CSU Japanese American Digitization Project.

Source: National Archives

Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black's majority opinion in the case of Korematsu v. United States, a legal challenge to the internment policy. See Also: History Matters.

The Act was passed by Congress to provide a Presidential apology and symbolic payment of $20,000 to the internees, evacuees, and persons of Japanese ancestry who lost liberty or property because of discriminatory action by the Federal government during World War II.

A copy of President Bill Clinton's apology letter sent following the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

Densho historical video of the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the evacuation of Japanese Americans. 7 minutes.

from Densho Encyclopedia

Davenport, John C. “Executive Order 9066: Japanese Internment.” The Internment of Japanese Americans During World War II, Updated Edition, Chelsea House, 2017. American History.

Densho historical video of the World War II Japanese American incarceration. 5 minutes.

U.S. government-produced film defending the World War II internment of Japanese American citizens. Narrated by Milton S. Eisenhower, director of the War Relocation Authority in 1943. 10 minutes.

Government-produced film attempting to defend the massive internment of Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II. Produced by United States. War Relocation Authority, 1943. 18 minutes.

Episode 2 from PBS's Series Asians Americans. Availalble on Academic Video Online: Premium Database. 56 minutes.

Primary sources in the Library of Congress digital collection.

In 1943, Ansel Adams (1902-1984), America's most well-known photographer, documented the Manzanar War Relocation Center in California and the Japanese-Americans interned there during World War II. From Library of Congress Digital Collection.

Different perspectives of Japanese American Internment Camps by photographers of Dorothea Lange, Ansel Adams, and Toyo Miyatake.

New York Time's article about photographer Dorothea Lange.

Three powerpoint presentations showing the evacuation of Japanese from San Francisco, the Tanforan Assembly Center and the Manzanar Relocation Center made available by the Museum of the City of San Francisco.

Beck, Julie. The Atlantic. May 17, 2019.

By IRVIN MOLOTSKYSpecial to The New,York Times. "The Heat of War Welds A Bond that Endures Across Aisles and Years: Despite Fear and Barbed Wire, the Two Scouts had Much in Common." New York Times (1923-Current file), Apr 26 1988, p. 1. ProQuest. Web. 5 Jan. 2021 .

Davenport, John C. “Japanese Internment Camps: Manzanar, Topaz, and Tule Lake.” The Internment of Japanese Americans During World War II, Updated Edition, Chelsea House, 2017. American History.

Selected digitized articles from the The San Francisco News during the relocation and internment period.

This eight-part series tells the stories of Japanese Americans forced from their homes during World War II and sent to "relocation centers."
A podcast from APM Reports and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History.