On December 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor was struck by the Japanese and caused country-wide chaos and panic. The country was terrified and were afraid of the possibility that spies were around them. This caused many Japanese-American people to fear for their lives. Many people accused them of spying and even the police accused them. A Japanese-American woman tells her story of what she went through when Pearl Harbor was struck. This is the original transcript of her interview: Story <-----
Kiyo Sato-Viacrucis is a Japanese-American woman who lived through fear and injustice. The police came to her house and they searched everything. They found her diary and read through it, but they didn't actually find anything incriminating in their house, but she was himiliated and embarrassed. If that ever happened to me, I'd probably cry. She told of how her family and other Japanese-American families were humiliated because they were accused of doing things, but they were really inncocent. They felt totally unwelcome in their own country where they were supposed to be free. One guy hung himself after being harassed by the police. It was just so unfair to them. I remember reading in U.S. History about how they were put in camps and were treated like criminals. Many years later, the court found this act inhumane and unfair. They tried to make up for what they did to them, but I don't think it really made up for how their own country had treated them. I do believe that the court was sincerely sorry for what they did, and I think they acted out of fear for their safety and for their lives. They just learned from their mistakes. So, what do you think?
*This is my final blog*
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2 comments:
That is awful. The way that Americans suspected any Japanese citizens as possible spies. And it is also awful how some of them would end up killing themselves. If I were alive during this time I think that I would be afraid, but probley not as much of Japanese citizens just the fact that we had just been bombed.
After 911 this happened, too. Many people treated Islamic people differently. The police did not necessaraly imprison every Islamic person that they saw. People just suspected them for being suicide bombers or just bombers. The government tighted security on every one not just Islamic people so they did not single them out, which I thought was good. But I bet that if they were caught doing something or saying something that it would mean more to everyone. I don't think that this is good because you don't really know who that person is. They could be a really nice and loving person that wants to be your friend or just a quite person. You cannot judge a person by how they look! I think that judging a person by their looks is one of natural mans' weaknesses (they just automatically do it.) But I think that we should try our best not to. You never know, they could be thinking the same about you!.
~SUSIE
I think that insecurity is a very dangerous thing. Just in our school it can make very artificial people, but when it goes extreme it can enganger the well being of the entire country. The Japanese people were persecuted because of paranoid Americans. Security should be balanced with liberty. We shouldn't have taken away the Japanese American's freedom unless they had committed a crime, but also we needed a little security. When things are taken to and extreme people are hurt.
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