MARIA


 * What do you believe were the causes of the conflict?**

The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on Sunday, December 7, 1941.( __Japanese Relocation Centers__) Many people feared a Japanese invasion of the west coast because there were so many Japanese people living in the west. In fact, there were 120,000 Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. People in the Government and the media said that Japanese American would help Japan if there were an invasion on the United States.(__Washington: A State of Contrasts__ pg.322__)__

**What is the relevant background information (i.e. who, what, when, where)?**

On February 19,1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an order that allowed the immediate removal of all Japanese living west of the Cascade and Sierra Neveda Mountains. Japanese Americans were defined as any person with 1/8 Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were voluntarily or forcibly moved to internment camps. The camps were located in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas. (__Washington: A State of Contrasts__ pg.322-324)

**What were 3 factors that helped cause the conflict (politics, economics, geography, history)?**

Three reasons that caused Japanese Americans to be put into internment camps wer the war with Japan, fear, and racism. The war with Japan was intiated by the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the Japanese. Even though Japanese Americans were not involved in the bombing, Americans did not trust people who were Japanese. The second reason was fear that Japanese spies were in the country and would help if the mainland was attacked. Lastly, racism caused the military and the government to treat everyone as a spy rather than as a person.

**Explain why one factor is more important than the others.**

The one reason that is more important is the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Without the bombing, the Government would not have worried about the Japanese Americans and whether they would be spies or would help in an attack.

**How could the conflict have been avoided?**

The conflict would have been avoided if Japanese Americans would have been treated like all Americans. If there were reasons for suspecting someone of spying they should have facts or proof. The government should have also reacted by investigating and researching whether there were spies, rather than over reacting and putting 120,000 people into camps.


 * What souces of information have you used? **

Dale A. Lambert and Dustin W. Clark __Washington: A State of Contrasts.__ East Wenatchee WA: OMI, 2008 pg. 322-327

"Janpanese Internmet Camps" __yesnet.__ 5/19/09 []

Ricco Villanueva Siasoco and Shmuel Ross, "Janpanese Relocation Centers" __infoplease__ 5/21/09 []