In 1942, over 100,000 individuals of Japanese origin or descent were forced from their homes and incarcerated. Their detention was federally mandated. However, a federal investigation in the early 1980s concluded that Japanese Americans posed no military threat. In this lesson, students investigate a series of primary documents to address the question: Why did the United States government incarcerate Japanese Americans during World War II?
[All files updated on 8/27/18.]
Image: Photo of people leaving Buddhist church in Manzanar Relocation Center taken by Ansel Adams in 1943. From the Library of Congress.