1 / 37

S ome B ackground

S ome B ackground. Western countries have been exploiting Asia and treating Asia’s peoples with great prejudice for centuries. The 19 th century Western carving up of China had been a warning to Japan .

salma
Download Presentation

S ome B ackground

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Some Background Western countries have been exploiting Asia and treating Asia’s peoples with great prejudice for centuries. The 19th century Western carving up of China had been a warning to Japan. Japan realized that to retain their independence and national character they had to adopt some Western ideas, and quickly. In particular, Japan copied Western military ideas. Japan’s modern military then set about finding ways to promote Japanese interests abroad. China was defeated in battle in 1894-5 and Japan got influence on the mainland and Taiwan. This was the First Sino-Japanese War. (Sino=Chinese)

  2. The Japanese Empire • Japan has a severe lack of natural resources. • Prior to 1941, the U.S. had been selling fuel and metal to Japan, which Japan was using to build its military. • Nearby Manchuria had plenty of coal, plus industries and ports. • China had already been carved up by the Western powers; why shouldn’t Japan do the same?

  3. The Emperor Showa of Japan. He had complete control over, and commanded complete loyalty from his subjects. It was his responsibility for starting and ending the wars against China, USA, Britain etc. He was protected from prosecution in 1945 by the US who needed him to keep Japan from collapsing. The Emperor Hirohito 1926-1989

  4. The “Rape of Nanjing”

  5. Yangtze River, Nanjing, 2009

  6. Yangtze River, Nanjing, 1937

  7. Trade Embargo Against Japan • Starting around 1940, the U.S., Australia and the U.K., began an embargo against Japan • Japan obtained the majority of its resources (especially fuel and oil) from other countries • By blocking trade to Japan, who was already suffering from sever economic recession, they economically drained Japan • This backfired and enticed Japan to use its military force to get the resources it wanted

  8. Was the U.S. Seen as a Threat? • July, 1941, U.S. moved the Pacific fleet toward Japan and stationed long range bombers in Pearl Harbor and Wake Island • Also, U.S. moved fleets to San Francisco Bay and increased military presence in the Philippines

  9. San Francisco Bay Japan Philippines Hawaiian Islands Wake Island

  10. Japan Takes the First Shot • December 7, 1941, Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, U.S. military base in Hawaii • Surprise! • 2,402 Americans killed, 1,282 wounded, numerous ships and aircraft destroyed • Intended to prevent the U.S. from interfering with Japan’s imperial plans in Southeast Asia • Whoops! • Direct cause for U.S. entry into WWII • December 8, U.S. declared war on Japan

  11. American Opinion of Japanese

  12. “Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips”

  13. Japanese Internment

  14. SHORT VIDEO!

  15. Why Internment? • Many Americans thought Japanese-Americans were planted here in case of war • Many Americans saw all Japanese-Americans as potential collaborators • Interning Japanese-Americans was seen as a “military necessity,” despite there being no evidence to suggest so

  16. Executive Order 9066 • Signed by Roosevelt in February, 1942 • Authorized the military to designate areas from which certain people could be excluded • And to designate certain areas as military zones • War Relocation Authority, Relocation Centers • Paved the way for internment of about 110,000 Japanese-Americans • ≈70% of those interned were American citizens!

  17. Korematsu vs. United States • Fred Korematsu was a Japanese-American man who decided to stay in California and knowingly violate internment laws • Korematsu argued that the Executive Order 9066 was unconstitutional • He was arrested and convicted • In 1944, Supreme Court sided with the government, ruling that the exclusion order was constitutional and that the need to protect against espionage outweighed Korematsu’s rights as an individual and the rights of Japanese-American citizens

  18. 9066 Rescinded • January 2, 1945, internment was officially ended • Last camp closed in 1946 • The freed internees were given $25 and a train ticket to their former homes • Most remained in the US, some emigrated to Japan

  19. Apology • In 1988, congressed passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 • The legislation said that government actions were based on "race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership” • Awarded $20,000 to each surviving internee, totaling $1.6 billion in reparations of Japanese-Americans

  20. In 1998, Fred Korematsu was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom

More Related