There were a total of 10 permanent housing camps, called relocation centers, and they were typically some form of barracks. Each relocation center was like its own town, with schools, post offices, work facilities, and farmland, with the whole thing surrounded by barbed wire and guard towers. Overall, about 110,000 to 120,000 Japanese Americans were relocated from their homes into these camps.
However, in 1945, internment camps were ended following the Supreme Court decision Endo v. the United States. The Supreme Court ruled that the War Relocation Authority "has no authority to subject citizens who are conceded loyally to to leave its procedure." However, the day before before the decision was announced, the Supreme Court notified President Roosevelt and allowed him to start camp closures. The last Japanese internment camp was officially closed in March 1946.
In 1988, the Civil Liberties Act was passed and the surviving Japanese Americans who had been interned were sent a formal apology letter from the president and given $20,000 each. Controversy still remains today regarding the Japanese internment camps, with many people being critical of the decision.
Sources:
https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/japanese-american-relocation
https://www.atomicheritage.org/history/japanese-american-relocation-and-internment-camps
Nice commentary, Ryan! I find it interesting that Japanese internment occurred in an era of American history where Americans were most concerned with the idea of freedom. Another interesting fact is that many Japanese people sought to gain freedom and proper citizenship through other methods than the courts, like enlisting in military service. The 442nd Regimental Combat Team, an all Japanese group, became the most decorated military group in all of American history. Yet, they were not rewarded with release from internment.
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This is a very interesting post. It is scary to think about just how drastic some of the measures fear has led people to take have been. The internment of Japanese Americans during this period due to the fear that "Japanese people in America would act as spies for Japan and relay important information back to the country" also reminds me of McCarthyism as well, since McCarthyism involved widespread paranoia that also brought many Americans to turn on others, and disregard the lives of others if they thought it would help protect themselves, even if they could not prove others were plotting against the country.
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