Discussion Post 4: Was America’s Interment of Japanese Americans Justifiable?
For this week’s Discussion Post 4 assignment you will:
• study the lecture on ‘The Good War and the Re-Birth of Equality, 1941-1945′
• OpenStax textbook chapter 27.2 “Social Tensions on the Homefront” and “Internment.”
• read a secondary source article and two primary source documents pertaining to the Supreme Court case known as Korematsu v. United States (1944).
• read two New York Times articles related to America’s wartime imprisonment of Japanese Americans and a recent Supreme Court ruling.
Once you have done the assigned reading and watched as well as our lecture on racial justice during WWII, contribute a historically well informed discussion post and reply post that addresses the general question
“Was the Internment of Japanese Americans Justifiable?”
You should address the following specific questions in your discussion posts: read two New York Times pieces about America’s internment of Japanese Americans during WWII and a recent Supreme Court decision
Once you’ve completed the given reading and viewing, as well as our lecture on racial justice during WWII, please contribute a historically informed discussion and reply post that addresses the overall question.
“Was Japanese American internment justified?”
In your discussion threads, you should address the following specific questions:
1. What basic reason(s) did the Court give for upholding Korematsu’s conviction and the constitutionality of the Civilian Exclusion Order, and do you feel it was justified in doing so?
2. Do you agree with the dissenting opinion of Justice Jackson? Why/why not?
3. Do you feel that Korematsu’s conviction was either more or less justified than Eugene Debs’s conviction in 1917? Why? (note: be sure to review our materials from Week 7 to help inform your response here)
4. What effect did wartime imprisonment have on the lives of those Japanese Americans imprisoned?
After contributing your main post (450 words minimum), you should respond to ONE of your classmates’ posts stating why you agree/disagree with their statements regarding the same questions (50 words minimum). Remember, observe the rules for good manners and polite discussion in all your posts, but feel free to agree/disagree with your classmates based on your understanding of the evidence.
Remember that you are more likely to get full credit for your posts if you identify key language or statements from the documents themselves that support your views, and take into the consideration the historical context in which these events occurred (i.e. based on the issues raised in lecture and the reading of the brief secondary articles provided by the link under Week 11 Content).
Note: Your grade for this assignment will NOT be based on your opinions, but rather how historically well INFORMED your post is from the materials I have assigned. You should NOT presume to use other internet sources that I have NOT assigned.
Follow all the guidelines for posting that we have established, including a minimum of 450 words (more is fine), and keep in mind the feedback comments/suggestions I have made on your earlier work.
The deadline for posting to Discussion Post 4 is Sunday @ 11:59PM.
