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Quiz for Analyzing Historical Evidence: Japanese Internment

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Analyzing Historical Evidence: Japanese Internment

Choose the best answer to each question.

Question

1. In his 1942 memorandum to the secretary of war, General John DeWitt, commander of the Western Defense Command, wrote, “In the war in which we are now engaged racial affinities are not severed by migration. The Japanese race is an enemy race and while many second and third generation Japanese born on United States soil, possessed of United States citizenship, have become ‘Americanized,’ the racial strains are undiluted.” Which of the following arguments was DeWitt making with this statement?

The Japanese had always been enemies of the United States.

Japanese Americans were not the same as Japanese citizens.

Japanese Americans could not be loyal to the United States.

The United States needed to Americanize its Japanese citizens.

Correct. The answer is C. DeWitt is essentially arguing that, for the Japanese, their race and ethnicity determined their political loyalties, and that it was not possible for Japanese Americans to be truly American and loyal to the United States.

Incorrect. The correct answer is C. DeWitt is essentially arguing that, for the Japanese, their race and ethnicity determined their political loyalties, and that it was not possible for Japanese Americans to be truly American and loyal to the United States.

Question

2. In making his case for the need to evacuate the Japanese from the West Coast in 1942, General DeWitt reported that there had not been any instances of Japanese American sabotage against the United States, but that “the very fact that no sabotage has taken place to date is a disturbing and confirming indication that such action will be taken.” This conclusion suggests that DeWitt and others viewed Japanese Americans as

intelligent, sneaky, and calculating.

slow to learn and disorganized.

unintelligent, unimaginative, and indecisive.

dependent on further instruction from Japan.

Correct. The answer is A. Rather than assuming that the lack of sabotage proves their loyalty to the United States, DeWitt assumes that it is indicative of Japanese Americans’ crafty intelligence and sneaky and calculating nature. Anti-Asian racism is the root of his beliefs.

Incorrect. The correct answer is A. Rather than assuming that the lack of sabotage proves their loyalty to the United States, DeWitt assumes that it is indicative of Japanese Americans’ crafty intelligence and sneaky and calculating nature. Anti-Asian racism is the root of his beliefs.

Question

3. In his diary entry from December 7, 1941, Charles Kikuchi considers the impact the coming war might have on his life as a Japanese American in California. His words show that he perceived the United States as his

enemy.

protector.

oppressor.

country.

Correct. The answer is D. Kikuchi’s diary reveals that he has concerns and anxieties about the way Japanese Americans will be treated during the war, but that he is a loyal American who sees the United States as his country.

Incorrect. The correct answer is D. Kikuchi’s diary reveals that he has concerns and anxieties about the way Japanese Americans will be treated during the war, but that he is a loyal American who sees the United States as his country.

Question

4. Charles Kikuchi’s diary entries from 1942 address his attitudes toward the U.S. government’s decision to relocate Japanese Americans, including him and his family. Kikuchi approached the experience of internment with a sense of

angry betrayal.

resigned acceptance.

ashamed submission.

willing sacrifice.

Correct. The answer is B. Kikuchi is not surprised by the anti-Japanese hysteria, and he is resigned and accepting of the need to leave the University of California and relocate with his family. He does not express anger or shame; nor does he seem to understand the experience as something he will happily endure. He is surprisingly willing to look at the bright side and appreciate renewing his ties with his family.

Incorrect. The correct answer is B. Kikuchi is not surprised by the anti-Japanese hysteria, and he is resigned and accepting of the need to leave the University of California and relocate with his family. He does not express anger or shame; nor does he seem to understand the experience as something he will happily endure. He is surprisingly willing to look at the bright side and appreciate renewing his ties with his family.

Question

5. The evidence available in DeWitt’s memo and Kikuchi’s diary points to which of the following conclusions about the internment of the Japanese in the United States during World War II?

Japanese internment was necessary because of the dangers posed by a domestic enemy population.

U.S. officials decided to intern all of the Japanese based on their knowledge of only a few instances of sabotage.

The U.S. government interred Japanese Americans based on racist stereotypes, not empirical evidence that they posed any danger.

Japanese Americans were initially ambivalent about their role in a war against their country of origin, but internment made them more loyal to the United States.

Correct. The answer is C. The evidence from these documents supports the conclusion that the U.S. government interred Japanese Americans based on racist stereotypes, not any empirical evidence that the group posed any danger to the United States.

Incorrect. The correct answer is C. The evidence from these documents supports the conclusion that the U.S. government interred Japanese Americans based on racist stereotypes, not any empirical evidence that the group posed any danger to the United States.

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