The internment of Japanese Americans during World War II is an
oft-overlooked and shameful chapter of American history. In
the aftermath of Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor,
President Roosevelt authorized, through Executive Order 9066, the
forced evacuation of approximately 120,000 persons of Japanese
descent from the West Coast of the U.S. and their involuntary
internment in ten concentration camps on American soil.
About two-thirds of the internees were American citizens.
Although many reasons were given at the time for the internment,
all of them have been discredited as based in prejudice, animus
and war-time hysteria. No U.S. citizen or alien of Japanese
descent was ever charged with, let alone found guilty of, any act
of espionage or sabotage, even though the U.S. government had
insisted these concerns underlay its egregious policy.
Decades later, the U.S. apologized for its actions and provided
certain monetary reparations to surviving internees.
Allegiance – a new American musical, tells the story of a
Japanese American family and their struggle to stay united and
strong when the unimaginable happens and they are imprisoned in
the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in the wastelands of
Wyoming. The history of the internment of Japanese
Americans is a fascinating and little-known part of our country’s
history. This page offers a few of the hundreds of publicly
available links as a starting point to learning more about this
national tragedy. We encourage you to discover and explore
more about our show and its historical setting.
Check back often, as this section will be updated with content
and additional resources, some of which will be originally
collated and created for this site, to help continue the
dialogue, and to remember and understand, in the hope that we
never repeat this mistake again.
