Japanese-American Relocation and Internment during World War II
Arizona State Library, Archives & Records COVID-19 Response – Temporarily suspending all in-person services, while maintaining our statutory responsibilities
- Our number one goal is to keep the public and our employees safe
- The situation related to COVID-19 is rapidly developing, as is the response from this office and the state. Please check back regularly for updates
- We are committed to providing continuity of services while reducing exposure risks
- In-person trainings for ALL divisions are on hold until further notice. Divisions will hold trainings by webinar as needed.
- Department staff will attend community meetings virtually or by phone, when available.
- Services impacted:
- In-person Patent and Trademark Resource Center consultations
- In-person retrieval and immediate checkout of materials to patrons of Arizona Talking Book Library
- Walk-in reference service for Archives & the Research Library
- Ask a Question - online reference service
- Digital Arizona Library, including statewide electronic resources
- Records retention schedules assistance
- Arizona Talking Book Library requests and link to downloads
- Tools and resources for library staff
- Online continuing education for library staff
- Consulting for library staff on grants, electronic resources, digital inclusion efforts, Public Library Survey and all library services
- Communications channel for County Librarians
- E-rate Services offered online and by phone
- Arizona Capitol Museum Giftshop orders can still be placed online
- Arizona Capitol Museum collections can be viewed online through the Arizona Memory Project and Google Cultural Institute
- Arizona Capitol Museum staff can respond to email and phone call inquiries.
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
______________
On February 19, 1942, during World War II, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe specific areas as military zones ‘‘from which any or all persons may be excluded.’’ On March 9, 1942, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9102, providing for the removal of persons from the exclusion zones. Two days later, Congress passed legislation ratifying and confirming Executive Order 9066 and providing for its enforcement As a result of military exclusion orders issued pursuant to Executive Order 9066, approximately 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry were evicted from the West Coast of the United States and held in relocation camps across the country.
From 1942 to 1945, the U.S. Government forcibly removed over 46,000 Japanese and Japanese-Americans from their homes who arrived in Arizona to wait out the war in relocation camps located in Gila River and Poston. Americans' response to the camps and the treatment of Japanese Americans varied widely. Some supported the internment as a measure of national security, some rejected it out of fear from having so many of the enemy on Arizona land, and some campaigned on the part of their Japanese-American neighbors and friends to end the internment. The presence of Japanese Americans in Arizona highlighted the nuanced ideas of race, ethnicity, and what it is to be American during a time of war and transition.
Resources
Find a document in the Arizona State Library catalog that would be a good addition to this topic? Have a suggestion for another Arizona Research Topic? Contact us.