Japanese Internment Camps

Japanese internment camps were facilities established in the United States during World War II, primarily from 1942 to 1945. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government forcibly removed about 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, from their homes on the West Coast. They were held in remote camps due to widespread fears of espionage and sabotage. The internment is now recognized as a violation of civil rights, reflecting the racial prejudice and wartime hysteria of the era. In 1988, the U.S. government formally apologized and provided reparations to survivors.