WEBQUEST
The Korematsu Case
Introduction & Background Task Resources Process Evaluation Conclusion Credits & References
The decision in Korematsu v. United States, is one of the darkest periods in American judicial history. Not since slavery, had one racial group been singled out for status as second class citizens. Nothing in the Constitution could have prepared American citizens of Japanese descent for the events that took place after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Today Americans work closely with the Japanese in all phases of business and industry. Japanese entrepreneurs are highly regarded and respected by corporate America. But in the early 1940's, America found itself at war with Japan. Already at war with Germany and Italy, America was deeply involved in the politics of war and the defense of the American way of life.
In this climate, there was great animosity toward Japan. So much animosity that American citizens of Japanese heritage were viewed as a threat. They were after all, members of the race that looked like the enemy. Sentiments were the strongest on the west coast because it was believed vulnerable to attack. Scores of Americans of Japanese descent living on the west coast were forcibly sent to internment centers. Korematsu was a Japanese American citizen living in California, who refused to abandon his home and go to a center. The controversy was played out in the Supreme Court and the decision to allow Japanese Americans to be put in centers would be criticized for years to come.
In this lesson, students will learn about the internment of Japanese Americans by engaging in role-plays that explain the events and opinion in the Korematsu case. This lesson will differ from other lessons based on important legal decisions, in that the actual case will never be distributed to the class. Students will learn about the decision by holding a legislative hearing and recommending policy for the future of Japanese Americans. At the end of the hearing, students will have been exposed to all of the relevant facts, issues and arguments through the use of primary source material and role-plays to enrich the classroom experience.
After engaging in a role-play about Korematsu v. United States and holding a legislative hearing to determine future policy on Japanese Americans in 1942, students will be able to:
Explain the controversy over Japanese Americans after war was declared on Japan in 1942. Take a position on whether the U.S. government was justified in detaining Japanese Americans in internment centers in 1942.
Discuss alternative policies for the treatment of Japanese Americans in 1942.
You will receive the Korematsu Japanese exclusion Handout 4A Open Role-play. Your teacher will choose some students to be the characters in the role-play. In an open role-play, the actors choose their own dialogue but must remain within their roles and perform the scene according to the directions on the Handout. The students who are not acting as characters will read the Handout and observe the interaction of the characters in the role-play. At the conclusion of the role-play, you will be asked to explain your answers to the following questions:
What happened to Korematsu in the role-play? Explain. Why was Korematsu told to go to an internment center? What were the goals of the United States in issuing the Civilian Exclusion Order? Refer to specific language in the order. What does this order tell you about the American attitude toward the Japanese during World War II? Explain. Do you think there was justification for this attitude? Why? Why not? Were there any legitimate concerns with the possibility of espionage and sabotage by Japanese? Explain. Should it make a difference if a person of Japanese descent is an American citizen who demonstrates loyalty to the United States? Why? Why not? Should it make a difference if Japanese Americans were confined in beautiful surroundings? Why? Why not? How do you think you would feel if you were placed in an internment center because of your ancestry? Explain.
Next, you will receive Handout 4B "Resolving the Problem of Japanese Exclusion in World War II"
Six of you will be named to serve as legislators on a committee. Five of the legislators will have platforms which correspond to the viewpoints of one of the five justices who wrote an opinion in Korematsu v. U.S. Legislator 6 is the chairperson and presents a balanced view. The whole class will read and study the platforms of the legislators. These platforms will not be read aloud nor will the decision in the case be distributed. Each student selected to be a legislator will at all times during the hearing perform his/her role based on his/her platform.
One student will be chosen to serve as the recorder who will keep a record of the proceedings and present a review of the recommendations.
Be prepared to explain your answers to the following questions:
Do you think a committee hearing is a fair way to determine policy? Why? Why not? Do you think the interests of the American government were fairly represented at the hearing? Why? Why not? How would you explain the platforms of each of the six legislators? Which legislator do you think has the strongest platform? Why? You will also receive Handout 4C "Statements of Witnesses"
Four students will be asked to serve as the witnesses. Two of the accounts are real and two are fictional. The witnesses will read these statements aloud to the class. Anyone who has not been assigned a role as a legislator, witness or recorder will be given a role as a constituent of one of the witnesses. Constituents will observe the hearing. Before the hearing is adjourned the committee will consider alternative policies and make recommendations.
After the hearing has been adjourned, you will be asked to explain your answers to the following questions.
How would you summarize the arguments made by each of the four witnesses? Explain. Do you think the interests of the Japanese Americans were fairly represented at the hearing? Why? Why not? Which of the witnesses did you find most persuasive? Why? How effective do you think the question and answer period was? Explain. If the internment of Japanese Americans is allowed because of wartime emergency, does that mean that none of their constitutional rights have been violated? Why? Why not? Which constitutional rights have been violated? Explain. Do you think witnesses 1 and 3 should be compensated for their confinement? Why? Why not? Would you consider the views of witnesses 2 and 4 to be racist? Why? Why not? Do you think the American government was justified in adopting the policy of internment? Why? Why not? What do you think was the best way the American government could have resolved this issue? Explain. Do you think we should judge the internment policy of fifty years ago by the standards we use today? Why? Why not?
Your class will be divided into two equal sized groups. One group will write a petition in favor of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The other group will write a petition opposing the internment of Japanese Americans. The groups should be sure to include the reasons for their position. One student from each group will be asked to read the petition to the class and determine which petition was more effective.
Additional Exercises:
Read and analyze statistical information on the number of Japanese Americans placed in internment or relocation centers, the duration of their stay and the number of children interned in the camps.
Research old newspapers and magazines from the 1940's and make a collage of newspaper articles, pictures and cartoons that deal with the Korematsu case.
The class will be divided into equal sized groups. Each group will discuss the issue: "Should American citizens of Japanese descent who spent time in camps receive a formal apology from the American government and reparations?"
Imagine what it would be like to be interned in a military camp and describe your feelings about the experience in a personalized account similar to the accounts given in the lesson.
For further reading:
jajcarro@maxwell.syr.edu
