Bellevue University Internment of Japanese Americans Memorandum

Weekly Lesson Objective: Evaluate and connect how the laws, norms, and the social contract are created, enforced and modified, and how they influence and define acceptable and unacceptable behavior in society.

Deliverable: Write an Official Memo to (then) President Franklin D. Roosevelt taking a position, and objectively defending your position, on the internment of Americans of Japanese descent in confinement campus during World War 2. Include one paragraph which examines parallels between the treatment of Americans of Japanese descent in 1940’s to modern Americans who practice the Islamic faith.

The Question: Place yourself in the role of deciding whether to place Americans of Japanese descent into internment camps (1940’s). Recognize how complexity, the war (Pearl Harbor), and fear lead to these events. Review the actual documents and arguments of the United States government in favor of incarceration.

Additional Details: include a thesis statement. An APA style bibliography or references page and demonstrate good grammar and punctuation.

The Format: Write an Official Memo. Be certain to include a thesis statement and bibliography.