How did Japanese Americans experience and resist incarceration during World War II?
Preview this unit for the table of contents, a student reading excerpt, and one lesson plan. Preview all units.
Additional unit descriptions for the U.S. History Series that summarize key events, people, and terms, as well as underrepresented histories and skill development are available, along with a timeline, on this MIRO board.
FREE in Digital Editions, thanks to the generosity of the National Park Service Japanese American Confinement Site Grant and the Yale University Out of the Desert Project. To access the unit for FREE, click Purchase, then add the Digital Editions Individual Teacher License to your cart and complete the checkout process.
First Edition. April 2018. – On February 19, 1942, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 that authorized the forced removal of Japanese Americans living along the West Coast of the United States to ten U.S. concentration camps. And although Japanese American incarceration is often thought of as a terrible exception in U.S. history, in reality, it is merely one of the instances in which U.S. policy has targeted and discriminated against a specific group on the basis of ethnicity, race, or religion. Japanese American Incarceration in World War II introduces students to the incarceration of Japanese Americans in camps in the United States during World War II, a topic often overlooked in narratives of U.S. history. The unit equips students to consider the history of Japanese American incarceration and its historical and present-day implications. The unit is divided into three parts. The parts include:
- Student readings
- Accompanying study guides, graphic organizers, and key terms
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Lessons aligned with the readings that develop analytical skills and can be completed in one or more periods
- Videos that feature leading experts
You do not need to use the entire unit; feel free to select what suits your classroom needs.
“This unit goes in depth on a topic that is often glossed over in textbooks. My students knew so little about it. The primary sources of camp newspapers and oral history were amazing, and the videos that introduced the lesson were really effective in framing the purpose of the lesson.” – Amy, History and Contemporary Issues Teacher, Connecticut