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Pearl Harbor changed both the perspective of ordinary citizens but also the lives of the Japanese-Americans. On December 7th, 1941, when the attack occurred, the American response was swift and effective; however, the effects on the Japanese who already lived in America were extremely unfair. They were quickly shipped off to internment camps, where their whole lives were interrupted and destroyed. Jeanne Watasaki Houston’s memoir Farewell to Manzanar reacts to the build up of tensions leading to Pearl Harbor, details of the day, the American response, and the effects on the Japanese Americans after the bombing.

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The tensions leading up to the bombing of Pearl Harbor did not simply come from World War Two, but also financial conflict. One action that raised tension between Japan and the United States was when the Japanese joined the Allied enemy, “by cementing its alliance with Germany and Italy as a member of the Axis,” and then by invading French Indochina (On December 7, 1941). This action threatened Allied territory, and the United States demanded that they stop. They continued which pushed the US to enforce trade embargoes to attempt to reclaim the lost territory. When the Japanese did not yield, the Americans decided to take further action. As the war progressed, the Americans took actions to aid the Allied powers such as, “This prompted Roosevelt to freeze all Japanese assets in the United States on July 26, 1941, which effectively cut off Japan’s access to US oil,” which severely hindered Japanese military action in China (On December 7, 1941). The Japanese were severely impacted by this because they were at war with China, and when America cut off all trade to Japan, they were immediately distressed, as they now lacked precious war materials. This action was prompted by the Japanese invasion of French-Indochina, and when they refused to back out, their supply was cut off. In desperation, the Japanese decided to attack the United States to cripple their navy, which would allow the Japanese to easily take control of territory that the US protected.

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The attacks on Pearl Harbor were shocking to the Americans, and caused devastation and death among many. On the infamous day of December 7th, 1941, “US forces were completely unprepared, and in less than ninety minutes, Japanese planes destroyed or damaged 19 US warships and 300 aircraft, and killed over 2,400 US servicemen” which was the only attack on US soil of the war (Pearl Harbor Attack). The devastation of the attack was evident in the number of deaths and demolition of equipment. Along with the 2400 US servicemen, 68 civilian deaths were recorded. Every one of these people had friends and loved ones, which puts in perspective how truly horrific this attack was. When the Japanese were preparing for the attack, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto “dispatched all six of his precious ‘fleet carriers’ across 3,000 miles of open ocean in total secrecy, with the fleet arriving a few hundred miles north of the Hawaiian islands”, this was the night before the attack, they sent the planes hours later (Pearl Harbor Attack). The attacks were almost completely unprecedented by the US, and if they had known it was coming, the desolation of Pearl Harbor would have been significantly limited. This is because they could have prepared defenses and set up personnel, but instead they were unprepared and defenseless, and death rained upon them.

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Immediately after the bombing of Pearl Harbor the US government took action by declaring war on Japan and setting up internment camps for Japanese-Americans out of fear that they may interfere with the war effort. The next day right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, December 8, 1941, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the president of the United states at the time, delivered his famous "December 7, 1941 A Date Which Will Live in Infamy" speech to the country where he declared war on Japan. Roosevelt says, “I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire”. This speech was an address to the whole nation broadcast on national television. The speech by Roosevelt marked the start of the United States entering WWII fighting in both the Pacific and European theaters. The US also started to mass produce anti-Japanese propaganda posters such as the one seen above (This is the enemy). These posters depicted the Japanese as evil people, usually shaped like animals such as rats and bats with long pointed teeth. The anti-Japanese propaganda posters as well as negative speech about the Japanese created an anti-Japanese sentiment throughout the country which caused racism and discrimination against many Japanese-Americans.

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Effect on Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor

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Effect on Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor

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The immediate consequences of racism and prejudice were prevalent on Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor. The government's prudent actions caused the cruel internment of many Japanese-Americans. Many constitutional rights that they possessed were broken during this bleak period of time. “In California apologizes for Japanese American internment” it is stated “Several California lawmakers noted the state’s direct role in discriminating against Japanese Americans and carrying out the federal government’s order to send residents to internment camps. Two camps in the mid 1940’s were in California. A Manzanar on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada and Tule Lake near the Oregon state line, the largest of all the camps”(The California Assembly).  This is the direct revealing of the government blatantly stating their inherent bigotry when it came to managing the affairs of Japanese-Americans post-Pearl Harbor. The government admits their discrimination of Japanese-Americans proving that racism rose but not just citizens after Pearl Harbor. In A Farewell to Manzanar it is stated “The confiscators were often deputies sworn in hastily during the turbulent days right after Pearl Harbor, and these men seemed to be acting out of the general panic, seeing sinister possibilities in the most ordinary household  items”, this quote exemplifies the rash and sinister nature of the immediate action taken after the bombing of Pearl Harbor (Houston 7).  They assumed the worst due to prejudice that was commonplace at that time.

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When Jeanne Watasaki Houston's makes her memoir, Farewell to Manzanar, she looks back in time on past events such as rising tensions leading to the attacks, what happened on the very day that Pearl Harbor was attacked, how America responded, and the way that Japanese-Americans had to deal with their new world. This memoir perfectly illustrates how the world can not just forget the suffering and discrimination that the Japanese-Americans faced. If people read this book and understand her message, maybe some of the horrors that future generations may experience will be limited and people will have a better understanding on how racism and discrimination can have lasting effects on people.