Graded Assignment Korematsu v. the United States (1944)
Graded Assignment
Korematsu v. the United States (1944)
Use the background information and the primary sources in the Graded Assignment: Primary Sources sheet to answer the following questions.
(2 points)
What did Fred T. Korematsu do that resulted in his arrest and conviction?
Answer:
(2 points)
According to the first paragraph from the excerpts of the majority opinion, what did the U.S. government believe some Japanese Americans would do if they were allowed to remain free on the West Coast?
Answer:
(2 points)
The majority of the court believed that compulsory exclusion of large groups of citizens from their homes was okay in what situation?
Answer:
(2 points)
What did the dissenting justices think about the power of military authorities?
Answer:
(2 points)
The dissenting opinion raises the fact that Japanese Americans were being deprived of what rights?
Answer:
(40 points)
Imagine you are living in Los Angeles in 1944 and have just read about the case of Korematsu v. the United States. Write a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times telling which opinion in the case (majority or dissenting) you support and explain why.
Refer to the rubric and scoring instructions on the next page to see how your teacher will grade your assignment.
Answer:
Rubric and Scoring Instructions
To calculate the final grade for this assignment, add the scores for each rubric topic for question 6 for a maximum score of 40 points. Notice that you will give greater weight to Content by multiplying the score for that category by 6. The scores for Organization and Spelling, Punctuation, and Grammar are not weighted. Add the total to the totals for questions 1–5 to arrive at a final score.
ANSWER
Korematsu v. the United States (1944)
What did Fred T. Korematsu do that resulted in his arrest and conviction?
Fred T. Korematsu was a national civil rights hero. When he was 23 in 1942, he refused to go to the government’s incarceration camps meant for Japanese Americans. As a result, he got arrested and convicted of defying the government’s t order. He appealed his case up to the supreme court. The Supreme court, in a 6-3 decision, upheld his conviction.
What did the U.S. government believe some Japanese Americans would do if they were allowed to remain free on the West Coast?
The US government believed that the Japanese Americans would at some point turn on them. They hence were in support of specific areas for Japanese Americans and other persons of divergent nations to protect their citizens.
The majority of the court believed that compulsory exclusion of large groups of citizens from their homes was okay in what situation?
The majority believed that there was a need for incarceration in wartime to protect
They believed that the compulsory exclusion of large groups of citizens would help with the emergency and ensure that no individual was in danger.
What did the dissenting justices think about the power of military authorities?
The dissenting opinion was that the American government was depriving the Japanese American citizens of their civil liberties and civil rights. They believed that it was wrong to exclude anyone living in the country.
The dissenting opinion raises the fact that Japanese Americans were being deprived of what rights?
It raised the fact that the Japanese were getting denied their liberties and civil rights. This is since they were taken from their homes and their business closed down. They were then kept in camps and were unable to return. This also led to the death of many of the people in these camps.
Write a letter to the Editor of the Los Angeles Times telling which opinion in the case (majority or dissenting) you support and explain why.
Dear Editor,
Dear Editor of the LA Times, I am a White American living in Los Angeles. After reading the Korematsu v. the United States (1944) ruling, I dissent with the majority ruling. This is since the verdict appears to be favoring discrimination and prejudice against the Japanese American citizens. I find it unfavorable that the ruling would support an act of exclusion of some citizens and asking them to go to unconducive camps. Many people in the camp either got sick or died. Many have lost their jobs since they were closed down following the incarceration.
It is also manifest that Korematsu was convicted of an act that is not commonly a crime. He is discriminated against just because of where he comes from, which is unfair and unconstitutional. There was a need for the court to protect each citizen’s rights and liberties, which is not seen in the ruling. The case “legalizes racism” By violating the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. This is uncalled for and goes against what the country has been fighting for years.
Regards
Concerned Citizen
