from the American culture. Most of them resided on the Pacific Coast, which was where most were afraid of an invasion by the Japanese. Americans became skeptical about whether these Japanese Americans were loyal to their race or country.

Roosevelt then passed Executive Order 9066, which stated that internment camps (left) were allowed in order to keep possible threats in their place. This led to evacuations of many Japanese people on the West Coast.

Korematsu v. The United States

Even though there were some Japanese Americans who were born in American and had US citizenship, they were still discriminated against. A Japanese American named Fred Korematsu didn’t want to split with his non-Japanese girlfriend simply because he was Japanese, so he was eventually arrested and forcibly put in an internment camp.

Korematsu’s civil rights were violated, however, the Supreme Court decided that these actions were justified because America was in a time of conflicts and small problems such as Korematsu’s could be put off.

War Refugee Board

Jewish Americans were aware of what was happening to their relatives in Europe, so they urged the US to take action and assist them. The US government knew the inhumane actions Hitler was executing, but no action was taken until 1944.

The War Refugee Board allowed Jews to seek refuge at safe centers or at US owned camps in Europe.

Zoot Suit Riots

In Los Angeles, California, there were two sides of a conflict: Mexican Americans and white Americans. Many Mexican American teenagers wore “zoot suits” which included a broad felt hat, a long suit coat, and loose pants. White Americans saw this style as gang-like, leading them to attack anyone wearing the fashion. The