Justice Case File Worksheet Evidence File #9066
Justice Case File
Investigation: Japanese American Internment (1942-1946)
AGENT NAME: ___________________________
DATE: ___________________________
Investigation Objective
Analyze multiple sources to determine how the U.S. government justified the exclusion of Japanese Americans and evaluate the impact of these actions on constitutional rights and human dignity.
Source A
The Official Narrative: "Japanese Relocation" (WRA, 1942)
Context: This film was produced by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) to explain the evacuation to the American public.
Narrative Transcript Excerpt:
"The army and the WRA have been working together to provide a new life for these people... they are being moved to pioneer communities where they can build a new life for themselves... the relocation is being carried out with the efficiency and kindness that the American people expect of their government."
1. How does the narrator describe the relocation process? List three specific words or phrases used to make it sound organized or humane.
2. Visual Analysis: How are the Japanese Americans depicted in the film (e.g., their expressions, their actions)?
Source B
The Camera's Truth: Lange vs. Adams
Context: Dorothea Lange's photos were often impounded (censored) by the military for showing the harsh reality of the camps. Ansel Adams was invited to Manzanar to take "dignified" photos of resilient internees.
[Lange: Identification tags pinned to children; dust storms; barbed wire fences.]
Lange (Censored)
[Adams: Smiling nurses; lush gardens; high-contrast mountain landscapes.]
Adams (Sanitized)
3. Contrast the "feeling" of these two photographic styles. What is Lange trying to show that the government might want to hide?
Source C
Voices from Within: Farewell to Manzanar / Stanley Hayami
"He didn’t die there, but things died in him... My own family, after three years of mess hall living, had ceased to be a family. We were just several people who ate at the same table, but never at the same time." — Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, Farewell to Manzanar
"I wonder if I am still an American. They treat us like enemies... I have committed no crime. Yet here I am, behind wire. But I want to serve. I want to prove I am loyal. It is a strange, bitter feeling." — Excerpt from Stanley Hayami’s Diary (Age 18)
4. According to Jeanne, what was the primary "invisible" loss her family suffered in the camps?
5. Analyze the internal conflict in Stanley’s diary. How does he grapple with his identity as an American?
Source D
The Law: Korematsu v. United States (1944)
Majority Opinion (Justice Black)
"Korematsu was not excluded from the Military Area because of hostility to him or his race. He was excluded because we are at war with the Japanese Empire... because the military authorities feared an invasion... the need for national security outweighed his individual rights."
Dissenting Opinion (Justice Murphy)
"This exclusion... falls into the ugly abyss of racism. It is at variance with the principles of the Constitution. To infer that all persons of Japanese ancestry are subversives is to deny individual due process... this is an order based on racial prejudice."
6. What was the Supreme Court's primary justification for upholding the relocation (Majority Opinion)?
7. Why does Justice Murphy call this an "ugly abyss of racism"? What constitutional principle is being violated?
Final Evidence-Based Argument
Prompt: Was the internment of Japanese Americans a "military necessity" or a "historical injustice"? Construct a short argument (4-6 sentences) using evidence from at least two different sources (A, B, C, or D).
Justice Evidence Slides History Lab: Evidence Inquiry
Justice Denied
Analyzing the internment of Japanese Americans through propaganda, photography, and the law.
Source A: The Narrative
1942 Propaganda
Key Focus Areas
What words does the narrator use to describe the camps?
How is the "voluntary" nature of the move portrayed?
What music or tone is used to influence the audience?
"We are setting them in a safe place, for their own protection and the protection of the nation."
National Archives: WRA Film #9066
Source B: The Lens
Censored vs. Sanctioned
[Dorothea Lange: Families waiting with identification tags pinned to their clothes.]
Dorothea Lange
Censored by the U.S. Military
Lange focused on the harshness, the identification tags, and the loss of dignity.
[Ansel Adams: Manzanar internees smiling while playing baseball or nursing.]
Ansel Adams
Invited to "Humanize" the Camp
Adams focused on resilience and the Americanization of the internees.
Source C: The Voices
Personal Accounts
"The identification tags pinned to our coats made us feel like cattle being driven to a fair."
Themes to Discuss
Loss of individual identity
The psychological toll of "Mess Hall" living
Conflict between loyalty and betrayal
Diary Analysis
How do these personal accounts contradict the "happy" and "efficient" narrative seen in the WRA film?
Internal Struggle
Family Breakdown
Source D: The Law
Korematsu v. USA
The Majority
"It was because we were at war... because the military authorities feared an invasion."
Key Argument
National Security > Individual Rights
The Dissent
"This exclusion... falls into the ugly abyss of racism."
Key Argument
Equal Protection & Due Process
The Final Brief
Using your evidence file, prove your claim:
Was internment a military necessity or an injustice fueled by racism?
Support with 2 Sources • 4-6 Sentences
Injustice Inquiry Teacher Guide Teacher Guide: Justice Denied
Inquiry-Based Analysis of Japanese American Internment
Learning Objective
Students will analyze diverse primary sources to build evidence-based arguments regarding the constitutional and human rights violations during Japanese American internment.
Duration
60-90 Minutes (Adjustable for deep dives into specific sources).
Part 1: The Narrative (Film)
Preparation: Have the 1942 WRA "Japanese Relocation" film ready. It is public domain and available on the National Archives YouTube channel.
Discussion Prompt: "Who is the intended audience for this film? Why would the government spend money making this?"
Look-Fors: Students should notice euphemisms like "pioneer spirit," "relocation," and "protection."
Part 2: Visual Evidence (Photography)
Compare Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams. Lange was hired by the WRA but her work was so critical it was impounded. Adams was a friend of the camp director and focused on resilience.
Key Insight: Photography is not always objective. Choice of subject, lighting, and framing creates a "truth."
Activity: Ask students to find one "sanitized" element in an Adams photo and one "raw" element in a Lange photo.
Part 3: The Human Cost (Accounts)
Use the excerpts from Farewell to Manzanar and Stanley Hayami’s diary to focus on identity and psychology .
Theme: The "invisible" loss—the breakdown of the family unit due to communal living and the trauma of being labeled an "enemy alien."
Part 4: The Law (Korematsu)
This is the critical legal pivot. Ensure students understand that the Court upheld the internment at the time.
Majority: Focus on "Military Necessity."
Dissent: Focus on "Equal Protection" and the lack of individual due process (people were interned based on race, not individual criminal acts).
Worksheet Guidance & Answer Key
Q1-2: WRA Film
Look for: Euphemisms (efficiency, safety, voluntary). Depiction of internees as cooperative or even grateful.
Q3: Photography
Look for: Focus on barbed wire vs. focus on smiles. Lange shows the "prison" aspect; Adams shows the "community" aspect.
Q4-5: Personal Accounts
Look for: "Mess hall living" destroying family rituals. Hayami's struggle with dual identity and desire to prove loyalty despite betrayal.
