Sake and Sagebrush

             No one thing in modern history has ever inspired such a fear and hatred towards an ethnic group, as did that day on December 7, 1941. The undeclared act of war against the American fleet at Pearl Harbor enraged the people of the United States against the Japanese and people of Japanese ancestry. It was a period in United States history when reason, and compassion, were disposed of. A period where the laws and rights set forth in the Constitution of the United States, were disregarded and denied to all people of Japanese ancestry.
             This paper will take a brief look at the Japanese internment facility at Manzanar, California, as well as discuss some of the political and economic issues that led to the eventual internment of all people of Japanese ancestry.
             Japanese immigration began as a trickle in the 1880's, with the bulk of the Japanese population concentrated on the West Coast (Bosworth, 1967). With immigration from Japan, Japanese customs and traditions were also imported into America. Japanese work ethics and philosophy were major factors in their economic success.
             As early as 1913, problems between American and Japanese business owners were beginning to surface. Some of these problems led to the eventual passing of The California Alien Land Law. This law made all Asian immigrants ineligible for citizenship. Asian immigrants were also excluded from land and property ownership (Randall, 1997).
             Problems continued for Japanese in 1920, as the leasing of land was no longer allowed in sixteen states (Randall, 1997). The Supreme Court case in 1922 of Ozawa v. United States continued the discrimination of Japanese citizens by barring them from naturalization in the United States (Randall, 1997).
             Still, Many times the Japanese and Japanese Americans would find a useless piece of land nobody wanted and produce a fertile farm. Prior to World War II, many Japanese and Japanese Americans were doing well through farming, and ot...

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Sake and Sagebrush . (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 14:21, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/66917.html