Franklin D. Roosevelt's Role in Japanese-American Internment: Exploring the Interaction of International Security and Civil Liberties
Open Access
Author:
Foster, Megan Marie
Area of Honors:
History
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Anne Carver Rose, Thesis Supervisor Catherine Wanner, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Franklin D. Roosevelt Japanese-American Internment World War II
Abstract:
In this thesis, I attempt to explain Franklin D. Roosevelt’s decision to intern Japanese-Americans after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. On February 19, 1942, Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, authorizing the Secretary of War, Henry L. Stimson, and his military commanders to establish military areas from which any civilian—regardless of citizenship—could be excluded in the interest of international security.
While some scholars have described this decision as undemocratic and blatantly anti-Japanese, I take a more balanced approach and view Roosevelt’s implementation of the internment in the context of the time period in which it was executed and in relation to foreign policy. In today’s society, civil liberties and equal rights seem to be steadfast staples of American democracy that are rarely challenged. Yet, in the midst of a horrific and demanding global war, concerns regarding human rights competed with goals of winning the war and protecting the nation from harm abroad and on the home front. Although I do not always agree with Roosevelt’s views, or the views of some members of his administration, I do consider Japanese-American internment in its time period and avoid being as critical of Roosevelt and his administration as other historians have been. If one considers the internment in a global perspective, Roosevelt faced a genuine question: pursue international security or defend civil liberties? As President, Roosevelt made his decision on this issue without full information and with conflicting opinions from his closest advisers.