<p>Hey, i was just wondering if this essay explained the leadership part of the question well enough. : / for anyone who actually reads this terrible essay and replies i will be VERY grateful.
Thanks a million in advance!
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<p>On February 19, 1942, soon after the beginning of World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This was an evacuation order that commenced the round-up of Americans of Japanese heritage. These people were transported to one of ten internment camps in California, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, and Arkansas. They lost all of their possessions. My grandfather, Henry Ebihara, was one of these Japanese Americans, relocated to Topaz, Utah.
Roosevelt's executive order was fueled by anti-Japanese sentiment among farmers who competed against Japanese labor, politicians who sided with anti-Japanese constituencies, and the general public, whose frenzy was heightened by the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor. More than two thirds of the Japanese who were interned in the spring of 1942 were citizens of the United States. Within these camps leadership positions were only offered to the American-born Japanese people.
Some people, like my grandpa, refused to accept these unconstitutional actions. On February 4, 1943 my grandpa wrote a letter to the Secretary of War (Mr. Stimson) and President Roosevelt. In his letter he expressed his gratitude that Nisei (American born Japanese) were offered leadership positions in the camp. However, he did not immigrate to the United States until he was two years old and therefore was not considered American. He wrote, I was sadsad because under your present laws I am an enemy alien. I am a 22-year old boy, American in thought, American in act, as American as any other citizen...I only ask that I be given a chance to fight to preserve the principles that I have been brought up on and which I will not sacrifice at any cost. Please give me a chance to serve in your armed forces.
He wanted to volunteer for co<a target="_blank" href="http://searchmiracle.com/text/search.php?qq=MBA">mba</a>t duty so [he] could proudly say to [him]self that [he] wasnt sitting around, doing nothing when the fate of the free people was at stake. This letter he wrote brought about an incredible change during the course of Japanese internment. As a result, the government allowed internees to leave the concentration camps if they enlisted in the U.S. Army. This offer was not well received. Only 1,200 internees chose to do so. The 442nd battalion was formeda group of all Japanese men fighting within the American army. My grandpa and the other Japanese men felt like they had to prove themselves; they often went on very risky missions and as a consequence many died fighting for their country.
A few other Japanese followed my grandpas example. Two important legal cases were brought against the United States concerning the internment. The landmark cases were Hirabayashi v. United States (1943), and Korematsu v. United States (1944). The defendants argued their fifth amendment rights were violated by the U.S. government because of their ancestry. In both cases, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the U.S. government.
Finally, In 1944, two and a half years after signing Executive Order 9066, President Franklin D. Roosevelt rescinded the order. The last internment camp was closed by the end of 1945 and the government began reparations to Japanese Americans for property they had lost. In 1988, the U.S. Congress passed legislation which awarded formal payments of $20,000 each to the surviving internees.
Ultimately, my grandfathers leadership helped change a small aspect of a time when American society was gravely unjust. His influence helped many Japanese men be given the possibility to enroll in the army and help their country. Such acts of patriotism served to convince America that their Japanese brethren could be trusted.</p>