Materials

• Overhead projector
• Class textbook
• Political map of United States

Instructional Activities

1. Give students the opportunity to read their descriptions of what they were doing at home during WWII, including where they were located. Have other students comment on how realistic the description sounds. Ask students to revise and rewrite their descriptions as needed to hand in tomorrow.
   
   
2. Ask students what they know of the treatment of Japanese and Japanese Americans in this country during WWII. What about treatment of German Americans and Italian Americans? Accept comments, and refer students to their texts for further information.
   
   
3. Ask students why these groups were treated as they were. Discuss the differences between the Japanese group on one hand and the German and Italian groups on the other.
   
   
4. Display the following notes on the board or overhead:
   
   WWII increased resentment and anger against the Japanese and Japanese Americans. Those living on the Pacific (West) Coast were viewed as a security threat to the United States.
   
   Japanese Americans were relocated to internment camps in Montana, Colorado, and other interior states, as well as some in California.
   
   Some German Americans and Italian Americans were also interned during WWII, but not as many.
   
   The Supreme Court upheld the decision to intern Japanese Americans from the West Coast.
   
   Years later the United States government issued an apology to Japanese Americans and made payments to the survivors of internment.
   
   Discuss with the students questions such as: Why were Japanese Americans on the West Coast viewed as a security threat? Was this reasonable? Why particularly those on the West Coast? Why were many of the internment camps located in interior states? Why were not as many German Americans and Italian Americans interned during the war? Did race make the difference? Why did the U.S. government apologize to the Japanese Americans years later and make restitutions? The Web site <http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/02034/internment.html> may be helpful in this discussion.
   
   
5. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available resources.