Farewell to Manzanar

1. Farewell to Manzanar Background Information

2. Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston • Born September 26, 1934 in Inglewood, California. • She was the youngest of 10 children (4 boys & 6 girls). • After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, she and her family were evacuated to Manzanar. • She was sent there when she was a young girl and would stay there for three years.

3. Dates • 1869- The first of the Japanese immigrants arrived at Gold Hill near Sacramento, California. • 1870- Congress granted naturalization rights to some groups • This only included whites and people of African descent • 1886- Japanese government lifted its ban on emigration and Japanese citizens were allowed to move to other countries • 1911- the U.S. Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization said only whites and people of African descent could file for US citizenship. The Japanese were not allowed.

4. Dates continued • 1924- The US Congress passed an Immigration Act that said any immigrant who could not become a US citizen could not enter the US. This meant that no Japanese could enter the country. • December 7th, 1941- Attack on Pearl Harbor • February 19th, 1942-President Roosevelt gives the War Department the authority to define military areas in the western states and to exclude anyone who might be a threat.

5. Dates continued • March 25th, 1942- Evacuees begin to arrive at the Manzanar Camp • August 12th, 1942- Evacuation of 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry to ten inland camps is completed. • December 18th, 1944- The US Supreme Court rules that loyal citizens cannot be held in detention camps. • August 14th, 1945- Japan surrenders and WWII ends. • November 21st, 1945- The Manzanar camp officially closes.

6. One last date • 1952- Public Law 414 was passed and it granted Japanese aliens the right to become naturalized United States citizens.