This article was written by Clara Estelle Breed (1909-1994), a librarian in the San Diego (California) Library System. She courageously supported the relocation of Japanese-Americans ordered in February, 1942, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt through Executive Order 9066. More than 100,000 were moved into internment camps that were usually located in deserts in the Southwest. The Supreme Court affirmed the order in Korematsu vs. United States in 1944, arguing that it was legal due to “military necessity,” a decision that has been much criticized. Congress attempted to make amends in 1988, with the Civil Liberties Act, which formally apologized and offered those still alive $20,000 compensation. Despite the violation of their rights, young Japanese-Americans accepted a wartime draft that placed them in the military. The 442nd Infantry Regiment, composed of Japanese-Americans, became the most decorated unit in American military history.
Breed, Clara E. “Americans With The Wrong Ancestors.” The Horn Book, 1943. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/l02-058/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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