Shawn Lees-Carr
Web-bib
June 21, 2009
SLM521
Japanese
American Experience During World War II
The following sites were selected
based on the type of information provided. Of particular interest were primary
sources such as maps, photographs, narratives and other first-person points of
view. Teacher resources also contained a variety of ideas and links to other
sources. Some of the links did not work, and those sites were discarded,
however, please double-check sites before using with students.
Information/Historical
description/Narratives
Densho: Collects the memories and information from and about
Japanese Americans who were interred in concentration camps during World War II
by the United States. Includes reasons behind the government’s actions, videos,
journals and photos, curriculum guides and additional resources.
Date
accessed: June 18, 2009
Japanese American Relocation Digital Archive: Contains letters, diaries, photos and other personal
artifacts from the people interned. Information is easily categorized into
people, places, daily life and personal experiences. Also contains teacher
lesson ideas.
Date accessed:
June 18, 2009
http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/jarda/
Camp Harmony Exhibit: Descriptions of life in Seattle’s Camp Harmony, from the
barracks to daily living. Pictures and drawings often accompany each text section.
Date accessed: June 21, 2009
http://www.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/harmony/exhibit/index.html
Newspaper articles during the War: Taken from the San Francisco News, which recorded daily
updates on FBI raids and sweeps. Contains a good introduction about the
inappropriate language being used to describe people of Asian descent. Will
provide texts for examining different points of view, propaganda and
discrimination.
Date accessed: June 18, 2009
http://www.sfmuseum.org/war/evactxt.html
Confinement and Ethnicity: An overview of World War II Japanese American Relocation
Sites: National Park Service site contains information and excerpts from a
six-year study of the internment camps located in the western United States.
Although somewhat technical, it includes architectural sketches of camps, and
the table of contents makes it easy to locate specific information within the
report.
Date accessed:
June 18, 2009
http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/anthropology74/
A More Perfect Union: The Smithsonian National Museum of American History put
together a multi-media presentation about the Japanese American experience
during World War II. Can print the information or watch. Broken into clearly
defined segments. Collection is searchable. Includes different discussion
boards (topics) that viewers can post to so that others can read and respond
with one another about their opinions and thoughts.
Date accessed:
June 18, 2009
http://americanhistory.si.edu/perfectunion/experience/index.html
From Coast and Camp to the Inland Empire: Incorporates oral histories, narratives and music
about Japanese Americans living in Western Washington who were affected
by evacuation, internment and relocation during World War II. Includes a
transcript and each audio section is labeled with its contents. Narrow focus.
Date accessed:
June 18, 2009
http://www.whitworth.edu/Library/Archives/CurrentProjects/Coast&Camp/Index.htm
The Constitution: This site allows students to read the Constitution based on
different reading levels. The Constitution is necessary when dioscussing civil
rights and whether the United States had the authpority to intern the Japanese
Americans.
Date accessed: June 18, 2009
http://www.usconstitution.net/
Multi-Media/Maps/Graphs/Charts
Exploring Japanese Internment through Film and
the Internet: Site is broken into sections and
within each section are video and sound clips. Produced by the National Asian
American Telecommunications Association. Would be a good starting overview
point. Also contains questions and guides for teachers.
Date accessed: June 18, 2009
http://www.asianamericanmedia.org/jainternment/
War Relocation Authority Photographs of Japanese-American
Evacuation and Resettlement, 1942-1945:
Roughly 7,000 images and photographs taken on behalf of the United States
government, including some taken by Dorothea Lange. Interesting notation about
the possible bias because many of the photos were taken with the knowledge that
they were being exhibited to the public. Photos are categorized by camp
location.
Date accessed:
June 18, 2009
http://content.cdlib.org/view?docId=tf596nb4h0&chunk.id=did-1.3.1&brand=oac
The
National Archives Gallery: Japanese American Life Before and During Internment
. Breaks down the categories of photographs by topic or categories based on
what life was like in the camps. Can be cumbersome to track down the actual
photograph because it’s not just a click and get. Volume and number of
categories may be a bit overwhelming unless students are directed to examine
certain categories.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/topics/japanese-americans/
This link will
take you to search tips, which may help you and students locate materials
easier. http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/education/how-to-search.html#part2
Internment
of Japanese Americans in Concentration Camps: A more advanced
site that also contains a glossary, timeline, photos and a lot of information
about the legality of internment.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/intern01.htm
Timeline: Breaks
down the chain of discriminatory events that happened even before the bombing
of Pearl Harbor and through the reparations paid in the late 1980s to
survivors. A very extensive timeline dating back to the 1700s. May want to
direct students to examine only certain dates.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://www.janm.org/nrc/internch.php
World War II: Japanese Internment Camps in the
United States: Provides map and camp population
numbers. Includes a brief description of life in the camps. Site also offers
links to worksheets and other instructional activities related to camps, even a
quick quiz to see how well students comprehended the material. Some additional
resources may require purchase.
Date accessed:
June 18, 2009
http://www.historyonthenet.com/WW2/japan_internment_camps.htm
Teacher/Background/Additional Resources
When
Military Necessity Overrides Constitutional Guarantees: The Treatment of
Japanese Americans During World War II. An overview of the history of Asian
immigration and treatment leading up to the war and then the discrimination
that intensified after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Provides a nice summary.
May be too dense for students. Includes
discussion questions, lists of additional resources, possible films and
multimedia sources, etc.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/3/82.03.01.x.html
WWII
Japanese American Internment and Relocation Records in the National Archives:
Introduction.
Compiled by the National Archives, this site contains an overview of the
different online tools researchers can use to locate information. This
introduction also provides a link to further resources, including presidential
documents.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://www.archives.gov/research/japanese-americans/
Children
of the Camps:
A PBS documentary about the 60,000 or so children who were interned. People who
were interned as children are interviewed and share their experiences and life
struggles as a result of the racism. Information is also included about the
history along with teaching guides.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://www.children-of-the-camps.org/
LESSON
PLANS and IDEAS
Teaching with Documents: Documents and
Photographs Related to Japanese Relocation During World War II. Provides an overview and
background of the situation. Listed at the end are additional resources. Also
listed with links are primary documents and photographs related to the
internment of Japanese Americans.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation/
On the right side
is a menu that provides links to lessons using the documents and photos.
(http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/japanese-relocation/activities.html)
This link will
take you to search tips, which may help you and students locate materials
easier. http://www.archives.gov/research/arc/education/how-to-search.html#part2
In the
Shadow of My Country: A Japanese Artist Remembers: A curriculum
guide from the densho site that explores propaganda techniques and contains
transcripts of original documents. Extensive timeline included, articles from
newspapers, official documents and ideas for having students examine issues
form different points of view.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://www.densho.org/learning/shadow/shadow-TRG-en.pdf
Japanese
Americans during WWII: A simulation based on investigating the
constitutionality of Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. In addition, the main
activity of this lesson is a mock trial that outlines both sides of the issue
related to the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. This is
based on an actual case: Korematsu v. The United States (1944), where the
conviction of Fred Korematsu was upheld by the Supreme Court. Korematsu was
convicted of violating laws that removed him from his home in San Leandro, California.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/activities/japaneseamericans/
Japanese
American Internment Curriculum: Developed by the National Japanese American Historical Society.
Contains a variety of lessons and ideas for a wide range of levels. Also
includes a list of linked documents and links to other exhibits and sources.
Double-check all links.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
http://bss.sfsu.edu/internment/lessonplans.html
Lesson
Plans Galore! Or so it seems! This site has a lot of lesson plans,
but the links don’t seem to go anywhere. There are some good ideas, but the
supporting materials aren’t found. If you can get the links to work, it would
seem like an excellent site.
Date accessed:
June 21, 2009
PROJECTS/GET INVOLVED:
National
Center for the Preservation of Democracy: Provides information and
ideas for teachers and students. Helps promote activism and involvement
Date accessed
June 21, 2009
PBS
Activist Ideas:
A list of different causes and projects related to human rights violations
based on information from PBS
Date accessed
June 21, 2009
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/hr101/toolkit/docs/12resour.pdf
Same main site,
but this pdf contains a listing with links to major human rights organizations
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/hr101/toolkit/docs/13orgs.pdf
Human
Rights Network:
Focused on US projects. Lists current issues that are of concern.
Date accessed
June 21, 2009