Semester Two: Japanese Internment Project

Due Date: All work must be turned in by ______

Points Possible: 120 points are possible for this project.

Background: During World War II, more than 120,000 Japanese Americans were interned in American Camps. It must be stressed that most of these individuals were American citizens.

Goal of Project: You and/or your partner have to decide if the internment of any group, during wartime, is legal- Constitutional or not. In particular, you have to decide if the internment of the Japanese Americans was legal - Constitutional or not. What was the legal basis of their internment? This is not an easy project. You will need to complete the following to be successful in your quest for 120 points.

• Read Chapter 16, section 4, from your book, as a start.
• Research the Constitution to see if you can find any relevant information as to the legality of your decision. There may be more than one relevant area you need to consider here.
• You will in addition to this research, need to consult outside sources to help you decide. (War laws, Legal cases, other books written on Japanese internment, magazine articles, newspaper clippings ect... ) You will need to use our school library, and in addition will need to consult an outside Law library in your research. Again I stress this will not be easy.

Paper Format:Your research will conclude in a 6-7 paged, double spaced, typed paper to me, to be completed in following manner.

1. The first half of your paper must include an historical synopsis, of the reasons, why just Japanese Americans, and not German or Italian Americans, whom we were at war with too, were interned. Your research should reveal the reasons for this. In this introductory phase, of your paper you need be specific.

Note: This part can be answered by research in a traditional library.

2. The second half of your paper must reveal your conclusions as to the legality / Constitutionality of the Japanese internment during WW II. the legal basis for the internment.

Note: This part must be researched in a Law library.

This part is by far and the way the hardest to do well. You need to think and do enough research. For example, what parts of the Constitution, if any, could be used to back up your conclusions? What legal cases can you discover? What articles were written during this time. Is there any historical evidence that you can discover, (past cases, legal opinions, ) that may help you make up your mind.?