A case against internment

In 1944, the government made the ruling that people of Japanese descent were a threat to American citizens after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. The government was operating on the belief that Japanese were still loyal to Japan and that this posed a threat especially with the World War II still ongoing. As a remedy, the Supreme Court made the ruling that all people of Japanese descent be forcefully sent to internment camps, a decision that saw 120,000 Japanese, 70,000 of which were citizens of the United States (Landmark cases, 2015). Despite being authorized by the president, the decision was a violation to Japanese’s human rights.

The discussion held by Karen Korematsu and Peter Irons brings insight to the situation as well as revealing how the move infringed on the Japanese’s constitutional and basic human rights. Although Japan did attack Pearl Harbor, the government had no right to assume that all Japanese, including those with American citizenship, were loyal to the Japanese government. Forcing them to move into internment camps was not only a form of racial discrimination but also a violation of their basic human rights (Landmark cases, 2015). People of Japanese descent such as Fred Korematsu were racially discriminated against and forced to relocate to camps simply because of their race. The Supreme Court failed to live up to its responsibility of protecting the constitutional rights and freedoms of not only citizens but also human beings. Because of its ruling, people like Korematsu had to flee from their homes to avoid capture and to avoid being taken to internment camps. The fact that the court overturned Korematsu’s conviction as well as gave him a medal of freedom proves just how wrong the decision to hold people of Japanese descent in internment camps was (Landmark cases, 2015).

 

 

Reference

Landmark cases, (2015) “Korematsu vs. United States”