Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians facts for kids
The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC) was a special group of nine people chosen by the U.S. Congress in 1980. Their job was to officially study what happened when many Japanese Americans were forced to move and live in special camps during World War II.
Contents
How the Commission Worked
The CWRIC looked closely at an order called Executive Order 9066, which was made in 1942. This order, and others like it, affected Japanese Americans living in the western U.S. and also Alaska Natives in the Pribilof Islands. The Commission had to find out all the facts about how this order impacted American citizens and people who were living permanently in the U.S. but were not citizens. They also looked at how the U.S. military made these people move into special camps.
Gathering Stories and Evidence
In July 1981, the Commission started holding public meetings in Washington, D.C. People from Japanese American and Alaska Native communities came to share their experiences. More meetings were held in other cities like Seattle, San Francisco, New York City, and Los Angeles. They even went to Anchorage and the Aleutian Islands. Over 750 people told their stories. All these stories were written down. After hearing from so many people, the Commission wrote a big report for Congress.
What the Commission Found Out
The Commission first looked at why the decision was made to remove people from their homes. They also wanted to understand what allowed this to happen.
Why People Were Forced to Move
The Commission found that the main reasons for this decision were fear and racism. At the time, many people were scared because of untrue ideas about different races. General DeWitt, who suggested this action, said that Japanese people were a military danger. But the Commission found his reasons were unfair and racist. Most Japanese people were peaceful citizens who followed the law.
General DeWitt also claimed that Japanese people were not loyal to the U.S. The Commission discovered that this idea of "disloyalty" was just because Japanese people had a different culture. This was not a threat to the country's safety at all.
How Such a Decision Was Allowed
The Commission wondered how such an unfair decision could have been made without good reasons. They learned that many people truly believed that a person's loyalty depended on their background. They were also very afraid of Japanese people. Also, President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to calm the public and stop rumors after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Life in the Camps
The Commission then studied how these Japanese civilians were held in camps and what effects it had on them. The decision to put them in camps was based on the idea that they might be spies. But the Commission found this was very unlikely.
Life in these camps was harsh and unfair. Families, no matter how big, were forced to live in small rooms, often only 20 by 24 feet. Children were made to salute the flag and sing "My Country, 'Tis of Thee" to try and make them more "American." This song is about freedom, but these children were not free. Many adults were also forced to do very hard physical work. The Commission found that these camps caused a lot of emotional and physical harm to the people living in them.
Report and Recommendations
In 1983, the CWRIC shared its findings in a report called Personal Justice Denied. The report clearly stated that forcing Japanese Americans into camps was not needed for military reasons.
The Commission said: "A grave injustice was done to American citizens and resident aliens of Japanese ancestry who, without individual review or any clear proof against them..." They decided that the choice to put people in camps was based on "racial prejudice, fear during wartime, and a lack of strong political leadership." The Commission concluded that this was a "grave injustice."
Making Things Right
Finally, the Commission suggested ways to fix this wrong. They recommended that the U.S. Government should officially apologize. They also suggested that money should be paid to the people who survived the camps.
In 1988, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988. President Ronald Reagan then signed it into law. This law had several important goals:
- The government officially admitted and apologized for the unfair treatment of U.S. citizens and long-term residents of Japanese background.
- A special fund was created to teach the public about what happened.
- Money was paid to those who were affected.
- The law aimed to prevent such an event from ever happening again.
- It showed that the U.S. cares about human rights.
Because of this law and another one in 1992, the U.S. government paid money to more than 82,200 Japanese Americans. However, Japanese Latin Americans who were also held in camps by the U.S. government did not receive these payments.
Members of the Commission
- Joan Z. Bernstein, Chair
- Daniel E. Lungren, Vice-Chair
- Edward W. Brooke
- Robert F. Drinan
- Arthur S. Flemming
- Arthur J. Goldberg
- Ishmael V. Gromoff
- William M. Marutani
- Hugh B. Mitchell
- Angus Macbeth (Special Counsel)
