Japanese American Internment

The Japanese American internment took place during World War II (1939–1945). During the war, Japan had attacked US military forces. Because of this, the US government looked upon innocent Japanese Americans with suspicion. It forced more than one hundred thousand Japanese Americans into internment camps in remote areas of the country. Many of those held called them detention or prison camps. The United States later apologized for locking up innocent civilians.

Most early Asian immigrants came to the United States from China. They immigrated because of gold rushes and plentiful jobs. Many worked building railroads. They were widely discriminated against, however. They were paid much less than white workers, and laws prohibited Asian women from immigrating.

The United States passed...