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AudreyDarnell
ProfessorAnnieKnepler
Portland:ACityinTransitionFRINQ
11/6/14
TheIncarcerationofJapaneseAmericansDuringWorldWarII
TheprimarysourcethatIhavechosentodisplayisaphotographfromthe
Oregon
JournalCollection
ofthe
OregonHistoricalSociety
.Thisphotograph,publishedonJuly8th,
1942illustratesagatheringofJapaneseAmericancitizensatthePortlandAssemblyCenterin
May,1942beforebeingevacuatedtovariousinternmentcampsinIdaho,Wyoming,and
California(oregonhistoryproject.org).Thisparticularassemblycenter,alsoknownasthePacific
InternationalLivestockExpositionbuildingwaslocatedinNorthPortlandandsheltered3,676
JapaneseAmericansunderterribleconditions.WriterCraigCollissondescribesthecentersas
[lacking]privacyandbasicsanitationwithhousingunitsthatwereeachlightedwithasingle,
barebulb(oregonencyclopedia.org).TheinternmentofJapaneseAmericancitizensinthis
PortlandassemblycenterandothercentersthroughoutOregonwasonlythefirststepinwhat
wouldbeathreeyearincarcerationofboththeissei(firstgeneration)andnisei(second
generation)JapaneseAmericanpopulationsthroughoutOregonandtherestofthewestcoast.
TheWorldWarIIincarcerationofalmost120,000JapaneseAmericancitizenswasan
eventinAmericashistorywhichisunprecedentedtothisday.Althoughitisimpossibletomake
senseofsuchanactorsumupitsfullglobalimpact,wecangainabetterunderstandingofits
effectontheJapaneseAmericancommunityandthegeneralpublicbyexaminingthepolitical,


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social,andlocaloriginsoftheincarceration,andmorespecificallyhowtheypertaintoOregon.
Inordertobegindoingthis,itisessentialtograspanawarenessofthemotivationbehindthe
incarceration,andboththelocalandglobaleventsthatleaduptoit.Muchofthe
JapaneseAmericanincarcerationandthepoliticaleventswhichallowedittotakeplacewere
largelydictatedbypublicopinionandthegeneralmentalstateofthepublicafterthe1941
bombingofPearlHarbor.ThisphenomenoncanbestbedescribedbywriterRogerDanielsinhis
article,IncarceratingJapaneseAmericans:thebroadhistoricalcauseswhichshapedthese
decisionswereraceprejudice,warhysteria,andafailureofpoliticalleadership.Widespread
ignoranceofJapaneseAmericanscontributedtoapolicyconceivedinhasteandexecutedinan
atmosphereoffearandangeratJapan(19).Theseoverallfeelingsofpanic,fear,anddistrust
broughtonanonslaughtofpublicturmoilandhostilitytowardsJapaneseAmericanswithin
Oregonandthewestcoast,andgreatlycontributedtothenationsdecisiontoexilethemfrom
theirhomesandcommunities.
AlthoughthepublicfearandparanoiasurroundingtheattackonPearlHarborsparked
nationwideantiJapanesehostilityduringWorldWarII,discriminationandprejudiceagainst
JapaneseAmericanshadalreadytakeneffectlongagoinOregon.Anewseditorialwrittenin
1909shortlyafteralawwaspassedbanninginterracialmarriageinOregon,servesasanexample
oftheantiJapaneseattitudeheldbymostOregonians.TitledADisgustingSpectacle,the
editorialdescribesthepublicsreactiontothemarriageplansofHelenGladysEmery,aWhite

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woman,andherfiancGungiroAoki,aJapaneseman.Muchliketheextremeandgreatly
irrationalreactiontothePearlHarborbombing,newsofthecouplesparkedapublicoutcry
whichpeakedonthedayoftheirexpectedarrivaltoPortland,promptingacrowdofangry
spectatorstowaitoutsideUnionStationinordertoprotesttheirunsuitablemarriage(ohs.org).
AlthoughtheJapaneseAmericanincarcerationwasstillalongthirtythreeyearsawayatthis
time,thisnewseditorialandthechaoticreactionofthePortlandcommunityservedasa
foreshadowingofthefutureandincreasedhostilitytowardsJapaneseAmericansinyearsto
come.
Thishostilitywasheightenedevenfurtherbytheinfluenceoflocalpressandmedia.
ImmediatelyaftertheattackonPearlHarbor,Oregonnewspaperssuchasthe
HillsboroArgus
,
CentralOregonian
,andthe
HoodRiverNews
beganpromotingantiJapanesediscriminationand
suspicionthroughdramatizedheadlinesandpropagandaladencartoonsandadvertisements.One
suchheadlinefromthe
HillsboroArgus
statedthatOfficialsFeelJapaneseMayTryAnything.
Othersincludednegative,hateprovokingimagerysuchasawoundedsailoralongsidethe
captionVictimoftheJaps(Olmstead9).Thesekindsofimageryandculturalinsensitivity
increasedthealreadyintensereactionofOregonianstothebombingandservedasignitionfor
deeperhatredandintolerance.

InanalyzingtheJapaneseAmericanincarceration,itisalsonecessarytoexamineits
politicalcontextoutsidethestateofOregon.Oneofthemajorpoliticalactionstakenbypresident
FranklinD.RooseveltatthetimewhichgreatlycontributedtotheevacuationofJapanese
AmericancitizenswasissuingExecutiveorder9066whichbecametheauthorityfortheUnited
StatesArmytoexilenearly120,000personsofJapanesebirthorancestryfromtheirhomesin
California,
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Oregon,Washington,andotherWestCoastareasandcoopthemupinwhatthegovernment
calledassemblycentersandrelocationcenters,butwhichthepresidenthimselfcalled
concentrationcamps(Daniels19).Shortlyafterwards,JapaneseAmericancitizenslivingin
EasternareasofOregonweredelegatedtomilitaryzonesfromwhichtheywouldbetransported
tointernmentcamps.Theseexclusionordersastheywerecalled,increasedinAprilof1942,
thistimeorderingallJapaneseAmericanstogathertheirbelongingsandreporttothePortland
Assemblycenter(showninthephotograph)toevacuatetotheirassignedinternmentcamps
(oregonencyclopedia.org).
PerhapsthemostsurprisingaspectofthewholeJapaneseInternmentsituationwasthe
reactionoftheJapaneseAmericancommunitythemselvestotheirwartimeincarceration.Many
JapaneseAmericansresignedtotheirsituations,evenshowinggenuinerespectandpatriotism
towardstheUnitedStates.TheJapaneseAmericanCitizensLeagueplayedamajorrolein
promotingJapaneseloyaltytowardstheAmericangovernment,advocatingapolicyof
acquiescenceandevencollaborationwiththegovernmentsplans(Daniels21).Ina1940

Oregonian
articletitledCitytoGreetGroupof1000:JapaneseCitizenstoOpenSessions,the
leaguespurposewaseloquentlycommunicatedbyoneofitschieffounders,JamesY.
Sakamoto.SakamotocomparedtheJapanesesunwaveringloyaltyandrespecttothepledgeof
theancientsamuraithatnomanmayservetwomasters.Thisstatementisespeciallyironicinin
lightofthesuspicionandhatredthatwasblatantlyshowntowardsJapaneseAmericansleading
uptoandduringtheirincarceration.

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Despitethesedisplaysofrespectandloyalty,therewerestillJapaneseAmericanswho
protestedtheirincarceration,someofwhomprovedtobesuccessfulinconvincingcourtjustices
thattheirinternmentwasunlawfulandunjust.AnexampleofsuchacaseinvolvedJapanese
AmericanMitsuyeEndoshabeuscorpusapplicationasameansofescapinghisinternment
campinUtah.AftertwoearlierfailedattemptsofJapaneseAmericanstochallengethe
governmentsrighttoincarceratethem,thesamesixjusticeswhohadoverruledtheircases
changedtheirminds,finallyagreeingthatanAmericancitizencouldnotbeheldina
concentrationcampwithoutspecificchargesandsayingthatshecouldnotbepreventedfrom
returningtoherhomeinCalifornia(Daniels22).ThecourtsdecisiontorecognizeEndos
rightswasacrucialfirststepinfreeingtherestoftheincarceratedJapaneseAmericansaswellas
acknowledgingtheabsurdityandunlawfulnessofthewholeJapaneseAmericanincarceration.

TheincarcerationofJapaneseAmericancitizensduringWorldWarIIwasanevent
whichisalmostimpossibletounderstand.Andwhilethereisnorealwaytomakesenseofsuch
anactorevenknowifsomethingsimilartoitwillhappeninournearfutures,beinginformed
aboutthepeople,politics,andpsychologybehinditallcanhelpustograspitsimpactonboth
Oregonandtherestofthecountry.

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