Burton 2009

Vocab

==Internment== -the state of being confined as a prisoner, especially for political or military reasons

==Manzanar camp== - camp in eastern California that housed over 10,000 people at its peak

Questions

^^What were some of the issues that led to the internment of Japanese Americans?^^

--resentment towards Chinese and Japanese people being accused of stealing jobs and the success of Japanese farmers built resentment that exploded after pearl harbor.

%%How many internment camps were built? How many Japanese Americans were interred in these camps?%%

--10 camps were built, around 113,000 Japanese Americans lived in the us at the time the camps were built.

^^What were some of the artifacts found during the excavation of Manzanar? What do these objects tell us about life in the camp? What is the evidence that the detainees were trying to preserve their Japanese culture?^^

-- Pieces from the game Goh, wire from paper flowers left at graves, pieces of fine dish, rice bowls, gardens that had traditional Japanese elements like foot bridges, decorative rocks, and constructed “mountains”. These objects tell us that they wanted to preserve their culture. We can see this through the objects because they are cultural objects that are traditionally Japanese.

%%How did the archaeology of Manzanar dispel the myth that detainees were “coddled”?%%

--Locals had complained about the lack of guards and guard towers however an excavation revealed the foundation of guard towers

^^Why weren’t these camps excavated/researched before 1990s? What changed?^^

--Usually sites need to be 50 years old to be considered for the National Register of Historic Places which affects government funding. Also in 1988 the government passed the Civil Rights Act of 1988 which recognized the internment as based on racism and hysteria at the time. This made it easier for people to recognize the sites as having historic value.

%%How has the excavation and reporting of archaeological research of internment camps affected public attitudes about these camps?%%

--Awareness has increased however many Americans are not aware that the government said it was a mistake and some people still say they were coddled. there is still vandalism and ignorance online however.