I have always believed that great nations do not ignore their most painful moments - they confront them with honesty and, in doing so, learn from them and grow stronger as a result. Not only did they lose their homes, businesses, property, and savings - they also lost their liberty, security, and the fundamental freedoms that belong to all Americans in equal measure. For years, many Japanese Americans lived in harsh, overcrowded conditions, surrounded by barbed wire fences and armed guards. On this Day of Remembrance of Japanese American Incarceration During World War II, we acknowledge the unjust incarceration of some 120,000 Japanese Americans, approximately two-thirds of whom were born in the United States.ĭespite never being charged with a crime, and without due process, Japanese Americans were forcibly removed from their homes and communities and incarcerated, simply because of their heritage. That order and the subsequent actions carried out by the Federal Government represent one of the most shameful chapters in our Nation’s history. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, stripping people of Japanese descent of their civil rights. Get Involved Show submenu for “Get Involved””Įighty years ago, on February 19, 1942, President Franklin D.The White House Show submenu for “The White House””.Office of the United States Trade Representative.

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