Japanese-American

Discrimination During WWII

By: Jack Norman, David Garcia, Charlie
Waggoner, Will Price, and Ariston Awitan

Objectives
Understand the role of racism and discrimination on Japanese Americans
through a mini simulation and presentation.
Dissect a poem and passage, analyze them for theme and motifs using
literary devices.
Take notes and apply what you learned in a game of jeopardy.

WWII Background Information

What was WWII?
How did WWII start?
Which countries were on which side?
Axis
Allies
Why was the U.S. involved in WWII?
December 7th, 1941 bombing at Pearl Harbor by the Japanese military
Why were Japanese Americans under so much scrutiny?
Inside intelligence
U.S. feared loyalty to Japan
U.S. gov. found no evidence of inside intelligence
Racism

Japanese-American Culture
Japanese-American culture is a combination of American and Japanese.
Issei
Immigrated from Japan mostly by boat - most came for work
Most didnt become citizens
Wanted their rights restored and guaranteed first
Nisei
Born from Japanese families in America
Called Japanese-Americans
Many were employed in big Japanese corporations.
Most lived on the West coast.

Uprooting
Japanese Americans forced from their homes in 1942
Left behind/sold most belongings
Yoshiko and her family (from Desert Exile) left neighbors they were close to
A decision:
Go to the internment camp
Move outside of the west.
persecution
racism
expensive
Most went to camps

Internment
What are internment camps?
Some horse stalls, others were barracks
What reactions did the internees have towards the camps?
Fear, they adapted the camps into societies
What changed in Japanese Americans everyday routine?
Almost no privacy
Shared common restrooms and wash areas
Topaz
Internmen
t Camp
Tanforan
Internment
Camp

Racism
Harsh and unacceptable
Sometimes violent
Still practiced the culture from Japan
Discriminated against because of this
Interning Japanese Americans was based on race and violated Constitution
Root of racism is fear
Japanese-Americans denied jobs

How Racism Affected Japanese

Americans
Before WWII, Japanese-Americans not welcome in pacific communities
Treated as outsiders
bonded to tight knit communities.
Worked for Japanese companies-most didnt work for American companies.
Struggled with relocation of loved ones
Many were separated from their families.
Desert Exile by Yoshiko Uchida
Poem from Desert Exile by Yoshiko Uchida in your notes (Poem by
Yukari).

Yoshiko Uchida and her family

Themes/Motifs in Desert Exile

Motifs: an image, phrase, or picture that helps reinforce a theme
Dehumanization of Japanese Americans
Japanese Americans are a mix of both cultures

Themes: an underlying message

Racism is born from fear.

Literary Devices in Desert Exile

Diction: an author's word choice to reveal the tone
As soon as permission was granted, [my family and I] went to visit [my
father] at the Immigration Detention Quarters, a drab, dreary institutional
structure. We went in, anxious and apprehensive, and were told to wait
in a small room while my father was summoned from another part of the
building. As I stepped to the door and looked down the dingy hallway, I
saw Papa coming towards me with a uniformed guard following close
behind. His steps were eager, but he looked worn and tired.(Desert Exile
48)

Sources:
1. Mercier, Laurie. "Historical Overview: Japanese Americans." Historical
Overview: Japanese Americans. Vancouver Archives, n.d. Web. 11 May 2015.
2. Uchida, Yoshiko. "5. Tanforan, A Horse Stall." Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a
Japanese American Family. Seattle: U of Washington, 1982. 1-154. Print.
3. Yoo, David K. "Growing Up a Nisei." UL Press. Board of Trustees Illinois
University, 2015. Web.
4. Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The Uprooting of a Japanese American Family.
Seattle: U of Washington, 1982. Print.Uchida, Yoshiko. Desert Exile: The
Uprooting of a Japanese American Family. Seattle: U of Washington, 1982. Print.

Jeopardy
https://jeopardylabs.com/confirm/japanese-americans6
Game:
jeopardylabs.com/play/japanese-americans6