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AudreyDarnell
ProfessorAnnieKnepler
Portland:ACityinTransitionFRINQ
11/6/14
TheIncarcerationofJapaneseAmericansDuringWorldWarII
TheprimarysourcethatIhavechosentodisplayisaphotographfromtheOregon
JournalCollectionoftheOregonHistoricalSociety.Thisphotograph,publishedonJuly8th,
1942illustratesagatheringofJapaneseAmericancitizensatthePortlandAssemblyCenterin
May,1942beforebeingevacuatedtovariousinternmentcampsinIdaho,Wyoming,and
California(oregonhistoryproject.org).Thisparticularassemblycenter,alsoknownasthePacific
InternationalLivestockExpositionbuildingwaslocatedinNorthPortlandandsheltered3,676
JapaneseAmericansunderterribleconditions.WriterCraigCollissondescribesthecentersas
[lacking]privacyandbasicsanitationwithhousingunitsthatwereeachlightedwithasingle,
barebulb(oregonencyclopedia.org).TheinternmentofJapaneseAmericancitizensinthis
PortlandassemblycenterandothercentersthroughoutOregonwasonlythefirststepinwhat
wouldbeathreeyearincarcerationofboththeissei(firstgeneration)andnisei(second
generation)JapaneseAmericanpopulationsthroughoutOregonandtherestofthewestcoast.
TheWorldWarIIincarcerationofalmost120,000JapaneseAmericancitizenswasan
eventinAmericashistorywhichisunprecedentedtothisday.Althoughitisimpossibletomake
senseofsuchanactorsumupitsfullglobalimpact,wecangainabetterunderstandingofits
effectontheJapaneseAmericancommunityandthegeneralpublicbyexaminingthepolitical,

social,andlocaloriginsoftheincarceration,andmorespecificallyhowtheypertaintoOregon.
Inordertobegindoingthis,itis
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essentialtograspanawarenessofthemotivationbehindtheincarceration,andboththelocaland
globaleventsthatleaduptoit.MuchoftheJapaneseAmericanincarcerationandthepolitical
eventswhichallowedittotakeplacewerelargelydictatedbypublicopinionandthegeneral
mentalstateofthepublicafterthe1941bombingofPearlHarbor.Thisphenomenoncanbestbe
describedbywriterRogerDanielsinhisarticle,IncarceratingJapaneseAmericans:thebroad
historicalcauseswhichshapedthesedecisionswereraceprejudice,warhysteria,andafailureof
politicalleadership.WidespreadignoranceofJapaneseAmericanscontributedtoapolicy
conceivedinhasteandexecutedinanatmosphereoffearandangeratJapan(19).Theseoverall
feelingsofpanic,fear,anddistrustbroughtonanonslaughtofpublicturmoilandhostility
towardsJapaneseAmericanswithinOregonandthewestcoast,andgreatlycontributedtothe
nationsdecisiontoexilethemfromtheirhomesandcommunities.
AlthoughthepublicfearandparanoiasurroundingtheattackonPearlHarborsparked
nationwideantiJapanesehostilityduringWorldWarII,discriminationandprejudiceagainst
JapaneseAmericanshadalreadytakeneffectlongagoinOregon.Anewseditorialwrittenin
1909shortlyafteralawwaspassedbanninginterracialmarriageinOregon,servesasanexample
oftheantiJapaneseattitudeheldbymostOregonians.TitledADisgustingSpectacle,the
editorialdescribesthepublicsreactiontothemarriageplansofHelenGladysEmery,aWhite
woman,andherfiancGungiroAoki,aJapaneseman.Muchliketheextremeandgreatly

irrationalreactiontothePearlHarborbombing,newsofthecouplesparkedapublicoutcry
whichpeakedonthedayoftheirexpectedarrivaltoPortland,promptingacrowdofangry
spectatorstowaitoutsideUnionStationinordertoprotesttheir

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unsuitablemarriage(ohs.org).AlthoughtheJapaneseAmericanincarcerationwasstillalong
thirtythreeyearsawayatthistime,thisnewseditorialandthechaoticreactionofthePortland
community
servedasaforeshadowingofthefutureandincreasedhostilitytowardsJapaneseAmericansin
yearstocome.
Thishostilitywasheightenedevenfurtherbytheinfluenceoflocalpressandmedia.
ImmediatelyaftertheattackonPearlHarbor,OregonnewspaperssuchastheHillsboroArgus,
CentralOregonian,andtheHoodRiverNewsbeganpromotingantiJapanesediscriminationand
suspicionthroughdramatizedheadlinesandpropagandaladencartoonsandadvertisements.One
suchheadlinefromtheHillsboroArgusstatedthatOfficialsFeelJapaneseMayTryAnything.
Othersincludednegative,hateprovokingimagerysuchasawoundedsailoralongsidethe
captionVictimoftheJaps(Olmstead9).Thesekindsofimageryandculturalinsensitivity
increasedthealreadyintensereactionofOregonianstothebombingandservedasignitionfor
deeperhatredandintolerance.
InanalyzingtheJapaneseAmericanincarceration,itisalsonecessarytoexamineits
politicalcontextoutsidethestateofOregon.Oneofthemajorpoliticalactionstakenbypresident

FranklinD.RooseveltatthetimewhichgreatlycontributedtotheevacuationofJapanese
AmericancitizenswasissuingExecutiveorder9066whichbecametheauthorityfortheUnited
StatesArmytoexilenearly120,000personsofJapanesebirthorancestryfromtheirhomesin
California,Oregon,Washington,andotherWestCoastareasandcoopthemupinwhatthe
governmentcalledassemblycentersandrelocationcenters,butwhichthepresidenthimself
calledconcentrationcamps(Daniels19).Shortlyafterwards,JapaneseAmericancitizensliving
inEasternareasofOregonweredelegatedtomilitary
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zonesfromwhichtheywouldbetransportedtointernmentcamps.Theseexclusionordersas
theywerecalled,increasedinAprilof1942,thistimeorderingallJapaneseAmericanstogather
theirbelongingsandreporttothePortlandAssemblycenter(showninthephotograph)to
evacuatetotheirassignedinternmentcamps(oregonencyclopedia.org).
PerhapsthemostsurprisingaspectofthewholeJapaneseInternmentsituationwasthe
reactionoftheJapaneseAmericancommunitythemselvestotheirwartimeincarceration.Many
JapaneseAmericansresignedtotheirsituations,evenshowinggenuinerespectandpatriotism
towardstheUnitedStates.TheJapaneseAmericanCitizensLeagueplayedamajorrolein
promotingJapaneseloyaltytowardstheAmericangovernment,advocatingapolicyof
acquiescenceandevencollaborationwiththegovernmentsplans(Daniels21).Ina1940
OregonianarticletitledCitytoGreetGroupof1000:JapaneseCitizenstoOpenSessions,the
leaguespurposewaseloquentlycommunicatedbyoneofitschieffounders,JamesY.
Sakamoto.SakamotocomparedtheJapanesesunwaveringloyaltyandrespecttothepledgeof

theancientsamuraithatnomanmayservetwomasters.Thisstatementisespeciallyironicin
lightofthesuspicionandhatredthatwasblatantlyshowntowardsJapaneseAmericansleading
uptoandduringtheirincarceration.
Despitethesedisplaysofrespectandloyalty,therewerestillJapaneseAmericanswho
protestedtheirincarceration,someofwhomprovedtobesuccessfulinconvincingcourtjustices
thattheirinternmentwasunlawfulandunjust.AnexampleofsuchacaseinvolvedJapanese
AmericanMitsuyeEndoshabeuscorpusapplicationasameansofescapinghisinternment
campinUtah.AftertwoearlierfailedattemptsofJapaneseAmericanstochallengethe
governmentsrighttoincarcerate
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them,thesamesixjusticeswhohadoverruledtheircaseschangedtheirminds,finallyagreeing
thatanAmericancitizencouldnotbeheldinaconcentrationcampwithoutspecificchargesand
sayingthatshecouldnotbepreventedfromreturningtoherhomeinCalifornia(Daniels22).
ThecourtsdecisiontorecognizeEndosrightswasacrucialfirststepinfreeingtherestofthe
incarceratedJapaneseAmericansaswellasacknowledgingtheabsurdityandunlawfulnessofthe
wholeJapaneseAmericanincarceration.
TheincarcerationofJapaneseAmericancitizensduringWorldWarIIwasanevent
whichisalmostimpossibletounderstand.Andwhilethereisnorealwaytomakesenseofsuch
anactorevenknowifsomethingsimilartoitwillhappeninournearfutures,beinginformed
aboutthepeople,politics,andpsychologybehinditallcanhelpustograspitsimpactonboth
Oregonandtherestofthecountry.