Table of ContentsIntroductionAmerica in the 1920s and 1930sJapanese Immigration Before World War IIBackground and Beliefs of Franklin Delano RooseveltConclusionIntroductionAt the Start of World War II (II) ), the government of the United States of America (USA) chose not to intervene, but to remain neutral and practice isolationism throughout the war. The Second World War initially pitted the Allied Powers, England, France, and finally Russia after the invasion of Germany in June 1941 against the Axis Powers, Germany, Italy and Japan. The war officially began on September 1, 1939, after Germany invaded Poland after creating an alliance with Russia that ultimately collapsed after Germany invaded Russia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayOn December 7, 1941, the Japanese Air Force attacked a U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, home to most US Navy ships. Approximately 2,403 people died as a result of the attack and nearly 18 ships were damaged or destroyed. Nine of these ships were battleships and 68 civilians lost their lives. Following this attack, President Franklin D. Roosevelt went to war against Japan, drawing the United States into World War II. Initially, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) began investigating and arresting Japanese, Italian, and German suspects and began eliminating any potential moles that might reveal American secrets to their home countries. More Japanese were detained than Germans and Italians because of Pearl Harbor and public fear of the time. Then, in January 1942, Roosevelt passed an executive order to send all American citizens of Japanese ancestry to internment camps. This lasted until March 1944, when Roosevelt decided to withdraw the executive order and began closing all Japanese internment camps in the United States as World War II began to end. While the internment of Japanese American citizens was supposed to ensure the safety of "American citizens" at the time it took place, today it is often seen as the result of racism within the government that favored the population white compared to non-white citizens living in the country. in the United States. So was the internment of the Japanese justified? Many people have compared the treatment of Japanese American citizens during World War II to the way African Americans, Latinos, Jews, and Italians had been treated in the past and today in America. However, Roosevelt and his military officials always distrusted the Japanese people in the United States due to past tensions and were pressured into action by many local, state, and national officials. This in-depth essay will examine whether the determination Roosevelt made was morally correct or was the result of racism toward Japanese Americans living in America. America in the 1920s and 1930s In the 1920s, after the end of World War I (WWI), the Republican Party regained power. The House, Senate, and ultimately the Oval Office when Democratic President Woodrow Wilson failed to gain House and Senate approval to bring the United States into the League of Nations and was removed from office. functions at the end of his second term. Once Wilson was removed from office, the US government embarked on isolationism after being involved in the second half ofWorld War I, resulting in the deaths of 116,708 soldiers. The United States used to practice extreme isolationism until the Spanish-American War in the 1880s, when Spain began expanding into Central America and the Philippines, claiming territories from European nations . According to the Historian's Office, the theory that it was an isolated state in American eyes was: "Isolationists advocated non-involvement in European and Asian conflicts and non-involvement in international politics . » In the 1920s, America was still participating in peace talks and treaties with foreign countries, including Japan. However, the United States was very wary of Japan because of the future threat its army and navy might pose to the territories it held in the Pacific. In the 1930s, America's main goal was repairing its economy, with very little success. until Democratic President Roosevelt was elected in 1933. The government remained isolated, refusing to become involved in the alliance systems that were tearing Europe and Asia apart. Roosevelt implemented the "New Deal", regulations quickly began to attenuate the effects brought. by the Great Depression in America. The New Deal helped combat unemployment in the United States by implementing a series of programs such as the CCC, WPA, TVA, SEC, and others. By 1939, the United States had become detached from foreign affairs, fearing involvement in World War II, and by 1940 it had pulled itself out of the depression using Roosevelt's relief methods. American immigration policies in the 1930s were limited by the climate of isolationism, racism, and economic instability. It was certainly more restrictive for immigrants from Asia than for immigrants from Europe. Japanese Immigration Before World War II Japanese immigrants began arriving in the United States in the 1860s, beginning in Hawaii and slowly making their way to the mainland. Before the 1880s, Japan was very reluctant to allow its citizens to immigrate, but once the government relaxed these restrictions, the increase in the number of Japanese immigrants occurred almost immediately. In the 1900s, more than 25,000 Japanese emigrated to the United States, and that number grew to more than 100,000 in 25 years. Japanese immigrants became primarily farmers and miners and quickly became the majority of jobs. According to the Library of Congress; “By 1920, Japanese immigrant farmers controlled more than 450,000 acres of land in California, brought more than 10 percent of their crop income to market, and had produced at least one American-made millionaire. » As more and more Japanese immigrants arrived in the country, Americans became wary and suspicious of them. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt and Japanese Prime Minister Saionji Kinmochi reached an informal agreement on Japan's entry into the United States. Japanese who had already entered the country would be accepted as unofficial citizens, and Japanese wishing to enter the United States would be refused admission by the Japanese government. According to Politico; » President Theodore Roosevelt concluded a “gentlemen's agreement” with representatives of the Empire of Japan aimed at reducing tensions between Washington and Tokyo by curbing Japanese immigration to the United States. As part of this informal agreement, Washington accepted the presence of Japanese immigrants already in America; allowing wives, children and parents of immigrants to enter the country; and prohibit discrimination againstJapanese-American children in California schools. In exchange, Tokyo agreed to stop issuing passports to Japanese workers wishing to immigrate to the United States. This agreement was never truly ratified by the two leaders. In 1924, the United States government passed the Immigration Act, making it illegal for all Asian immigrants to enter the United States. Japan and the United States have not fully respected the terms of their agreement. California gave Japanese students the right to attend school, but they were forced to go to schools completely segregated from white students, a situation similar to how African American students were treated in California. civil rights era. Japan continued to provide its citizens with passports to immigrate to Hawaii, where immigrants could then travel to the mainland. Throughout the 1920s, several anti-Japanese groups formed in response to Japanese immigrants arriving in the country. One of these groups was called the Anti-Japanese League, as reported in the Seattle Civil Rights History; “The Anti-Japanese League of Seattle, however, led the campaign to expand congressional hearings in Washington. The League was primarily composed of members of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and the Washington State Veterans Welfare Commission (VFW). The Anti-Japanese League was founded in 1916 by Miller Freeman, a former Washington state legislator and director of the local United States Naval Training Center. Freeman was president of the League at the time of the congressional hearings. He had also been appointed head of the Washington State VFW by Governor Hart. Freeman had testified before the committee in Washington, D.C. in 1919 and was asked by President Johnson to solicit additional anti-Japanese witnesses. In his 1919 testimony, Freeman framed his animosity toward Japanese immigrants in the context of the competition for control of the Pacific coast: "Today, in my opinion, the Japanese in our country regard the Pacific coast as nothing more than a colony. of Japan and Whites as a subject race. » Added to this feeling of conflict was the strong military presence at the hearings in Seattle and Tacoma, which worried the Seattle Union Record, the city's union newspaper. (Blair) This fear of a Japanese takeover as immigrants continued to flood in was called the “Yellow Peril.” Background and Beliefs of Franklin Delano Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt, known as FDR, was born in 1882 in Hyde Park, New York. He attended Harvard and, following in his cousin Theodore Roosevelts footsteps, entered politics in 1910. He was in the Senate as a Democrat and was later appointed Assistant Secretary of the Navy by Woodrow Wilson. Shortly afterward, he was chosen as the Democratic vice presidential nominee. In the summer of 1921, he was diagnosed with poliomyelitis, an infection more commonly seen in children but which can lead to permanent paralysis. Unfortunately, FDR became crippled, but he continued to work hard at his job and was elected governor of New York in 1928. He was elected president in 1932, helping to solve the country's enormous problem with the Great Depression and to quickly recover the economy. FDR was re-elected in 1936 and began to take greater steps in his policymaking. One example is his implementation of a good neighbor policy toward foreign countries, something no other president had done since the promulgation of the Monroe Doctrine. He also wanted to expand the Supreme Court, but was ultimately denied. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get now.