Answer

Internment of Americans of Japanese Descent

To: President Franklin Roosevelt

From: Vince Jacobs

Date: 18^th April 2019

Subject: Internment of Americans of Japanese Descent

Mr. President,

This memo is intended to bring to your attention my position on the internment of Americans of Japanese descent in confinement campus during WW2. I oppose the Executive Order 9066 dated 2/19/42 which authorizes the secretary of war to prescribe military areas for holding Japanese Americans for security reasons following the attacks on Pearl Harbor. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor has increased security fears among most Americans, as there might be more attacks on the way (Ng, 2002). Therefore, Americans of Japanese origin could be functioning as spies of their mother nation to help find security breaches in the USA.

While I share the security concerns as is the case with many Americas, I do not agree with the stern action taken against Japanese Americans based on the fact that the existing suspicions against them have not been proved with substantial evidence (Korematsu v the United States). Therefore, the action is a punishment for unproven crime.

The United States is built on a constitution founded many years ago by the nation’s founding fathers. In the constitution, the rights of people are indicated, and they should not be violated. However, ordering Americans of Japanese origin to evacuate from the west coast is a violation of American society’s civil rights (Gale, 2016). In this regard, the evacuation will not only dislocate and negatively affect the lives of over 120,000 Americans, but it will also be synonymous of racism as the targeted people are defined by their race. Therefore, justifying the executive order based on security threat is not correct as there are individuals in America from other nations at conflict with the US that are not going to be incinerated. The relocation of Japanese Americans will also result in significant economic loses (Lee, 2019). For instance, the relocating individuals will be forced to sell their properties and businesses at lower values than their actual net worth.

The internment of Japanese Americans in the 1940s should not stand as at will affect the security and treatment of Americans of Muslim faith in contemporary settings. Ideally, Muslim terror organizations such as Al-Qaida target Americans. However, the attacks do not mean that Muslim Americans offer help to terrorists. Similarly, it will be wrong and violation of civil rights to incarcerate Americans of Muslim origin.

Best,

Vince Jacobs

Patriotic American