Transcript Fred T. Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution

The Fred Korematsu Day
of Civil Liberties and the Constitution
www.korematsuinstitute.org
Photo credits (left to right): Shirley Nakao, Asian Law Caucus, William J. Clinton Presidential Library
December 7, 1941
“A day that will live in infamy”
Consequences of the
Bombing of Pearl Harbor
• U.S. enters WWII and
prepares to fight a twofront war
• Now that we are at war
with Germany, Italy and
Japan, how do we treat
people from those
countries?
• Are other factors
involved?
US Constitution
4th and 14th Amendments
• The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable
searches and seizures, shall not be violated. . . .
• All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and
subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the
United States and of the State wherein they reside. No
State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge
the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life,
liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny
to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection
of the laws.
Executive Order 9066
• Executive Order 9066 authorized the Secretary
of War and U.S. armed forces commanders to
declare areas of the United States as military
areas "from which any or all persons may be
excluded.”
Photo Courtesy of Karen Korematsu and the Korematsu Institute
Photo Courtesy of Karen Korematsu and the Korematsu Institute
Debriefing “Of Civil Wrongs and Rights”
How might you have responded if you were imprisoned in
an internment camp? How would you feel about your
country?
Karen Korematsu noted that her father did not share his
story with her while she was growing up. Why do you
think this was the case?
Don Tamaki said that he didn’t want to lose
Korematsu v. U.S. a second time. Why was this case so
important for him?
The “So, What?” of History
• What does the story of the Fred
Korematsu mean to you?
• What lessons can be learned from the
incarceration of 120,000 innocent
Japanese American people?
• How might we use this historical example
to guide our actions in the future?