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Japanese and Japanese American Internment During WWII

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 declaring much of the West Coast a war zone operating under military rule. Approximately 100,000 persons of Japanese heritage were forcibly removed from the West Coast to inland internment camps during the spring and summer of 1942. Of that number, two- thirds were U.S.-born citizens.Learn More >>

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This material is based upon work assisted by a grant from the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

This material received Federal financial assistance for the preservation and interpretation of U.S. confinement sites where Japanese Americans were detained during World War II. Under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, the U.S. Department of the Interior prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability or age in its federally funded assisted projects. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility as described above, or if you desire further information, please write to:

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A NOTE ON TERMINOLOGY

Given the tendency towards euphemism and sterilization in government terminology, scholars have long debated the vocabulary used to describe the incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans during World War II. Yet camps were not just “relocation centers” where people could come and go freely, but were instead sites of detainment operating under armed surveillance. Among former internees, the phrases "internment camp" or (more simply) "camp" are still used widely. Given their widespread recognition, this exhibit employs the terms "internment" and "camp" with the aim of addressing as broad an audience as possible. At the same time, this usage also encourages further discussion on the highly political nature of terminology.