The Immigrant Experience through Literature and Film

INTL-2040-001 Fall 2015

Gavin Rosenvall
November 12, 2015
Signature Assignment #1

The treatment of Japanese-American citizens following the events of the Pearl Harbor
attack was both unconstitutional and racially malicious. Main factors supporting these
accusations lie in the motives, treatment, and lack of natural rights given towards the people who
were afflicted in the instance. This era has become a dark part of Americas history from the
inexcusable failure to exercise human rights which still have repercussions to this day. The
Japanese-American citizens were discriminated against and stripped of their natural freedoms.
Racial tension began rising between the Japanese-Americans and other American citizens
because of the competition for agricultural land and sales. Many of the immigrants settled into
fertile fields along the California valley and started a lifestyle as farmers. The fertility of the land
made it a desirable location so competition for land escalated at an exponential scale (Children of
the Camps). Many Americans began slandering the immigrants out of spite and un-want.
Disliking the Japanese-Americans became a common-spread trait among many of the other
citizens of the country. Once the Pearl Harbor attack exploded into the media, other Americans
had a way to further discriminate the immigrants with little to no recoil. This paved the way for
the creation of the Japanese camps. The Japanese-Americans were told that their relocation was
for their own safety from the retaliation following the Pearl Harbor bombing. However, the true
motive was to remove the Japanese-Americans from the public and dispose them to a monitored

area. With this, all of the land and property that belonged to the immigrants would be forfeit.
Looters could come and take whatever they wanted and the fertile land would be possessed by
the competitors (Topaz Documentary). Taking the Japanese-Americans out of the picture gave
the other Americans everything that they wanted. The true motive behind these actions is not
excusable. The Japanese had everything stripped from them for the benefit of other citizens.
While the Japanese-Americans had all of their properties forfeited, this sadly is only the
tip of the horrible treatment that they received during this time. In the beginning, the camps that
they were forced to move into were only converted barns, fair grounds, and other readily
available areas which could be converted into living spaces. Not only were the locations
cramped, but the living conditions dropped to a terrible level. Locations would range from
deserts to swamps with a vast range of temperatures and climates. Thousands of people were
living together with communal toilets, a mess hall, and inferior medical care. All of which while
being constantly monitored by guard towers and armed soldiers (Children of the Camps). The
Japanese-Americans were treated worse than animals. Many turned toward suicide as a means of
escape from their new reality. Others began searching for opportunities for leave such as
educational advances and the military. Despite these conditions, many people survived for
several years within the camps. Instances such as the Topaz camp located within the Utah desert
left people malnourished and sick in the intensive heat of the desert sun. Such treatment towards
any kind of person is inhuman. This when compared to the Milton Bennet model of Intercultural
Sensitivity is a severe example of denial toward the Japanese-Americans as human beings, let
alone other people. These people were dehumanized to the point where the mental stress of being
accused and hated left them with psychological inability and even mental illnesses. No matter
what the reason, no person should ever be treated like these people were during this time.

As the Japanese-Americans were dehumanized, they also were stripped of their natural
rights protected by the constitution. One of the most commonly known parts of the U.S.
constitution is the Bill of Rights. Within, many basic rights are covered and guaranteed by the
power of the constitution. Starting with the most basic, the right to life, liberty, and property
would be the first offense. The executive order forcing all Japanese immigrants into camps
revoked them from leading their own lives, their national liberty, and all of their property which
they had worked to get. The basis of our Constitution was built upon this ideology. However,
many more rights were violated, further proving the unconstitutional imprisonment. Rights such
as freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures, right to an indictment or to be informed of
the charges, right to be confronted with accusatory witnesses, the right to legal counsel, right to
reasonable bail, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, right to habeas corpus (to be
brought before a court), freedom from bills of attainder and ex post facto laws, rights against
involuntary servitude, and right to equal protection under the law (Civil Liberties). The events
that took place around Topaz and all of the other camps were unconstitutional with several
offenses completely opposed to the constitution. The Japanese-Americans had every right to
challenge the Executive Order 9066 and abolish it from being enforced. However, this happened
during a time where many laws were overlooked and the president held more power through the
will of the people. These people were denied their constitutional protection and forced into a
state of dehumanization.
The events that transpired during the era of Topaz were surrounded by racism and
political abuse. The time allowed for governmental flaw and the will of the people, no matter
how morally wrong, to control much of the actions that the country would take. In our modern
day, something as extreme and inhumane as Topaz would not be present within the confines of

the United States of America. While governmental flaw is still present, nothing today comes
close to the manipulation and constitutional neglect of the Topaz era. However, this could still
happen again in most places of the world. Other countries do not hold natural rights as highly as
our constitution. Even the US could do something today much like Topaz in an outside country
under the confidentiality of the governments actions. Regardless of todays state of being, the
treatment of Japanese-Americans was unconstitutional and racially malicious. The immigrants
were targeted for their land, property and success. They then were forced into terrible conditions
and treated below animals. Finally, the Japanese-Americans were revoked of all of their
constitutional rights, leaving them at the mercy of the governments bidding. The Topaz era was
a dark part of the United States history which stripped Americans of their natural freedoms.

Works Cited

California: The Children of the Camps Documentary and Educational Project, 2001.
Written/Handout/Web
1st hand sources and analysis of the treatment of Japanese-Americans during the Topazera.

Topaz Verdoia, Ken. Topaz Documentary

Utah: 1987, University of Utah, Film
A documentary following the lives of Japanese-Americans, staff, and government
officiates who were involved in the Topaz camp.

The LegiSchool Project. The Japanese- American Internment During WWII: A Discussion of
Civil Liberties Then and Now. California State Capitol, May 2, 2000.
A written publication illustrating all of the offenses that the Japanese camps held against
then US constitution.