Japanese American Internment

Active learning works well for this topic because it helps students step into the shoes of historical figures and grapple with the tension between fear and justice. By simulating hearings or analyzing primary sources, students confront the human impact of policies like internment and McCarthyism, making abstract concepts tangible and memorable.

• 11th Grade
• US History
• 3 activities
• 30 min–60 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze the primary motivations and justifications presented by the US government for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II.
2. Critique the legal reasoning and historical impact of the Supreme Court's decision in Korematsu v. United States.
3. Evaluate the extent to which national security concerns, as opposed to racial prejudice, influenced the decision to implement internment policies.
4. Compare and contrast the experiences of different groups of Japanese Americans, including citizens and non-citizens, during the internment period.

Simulation Game

⏱ 60 min·Whole Class

Simulation Game: The HUAC Hearing

Students take on the roles of committee members, 'friendly' witnesses, and those who refuse to testify (the 'unfriendly' witnesses). They experience the pressure to 'name names' and the immediate social and professional consequences of their choices.

Prepare & details

Analyze the motivations and justifications for the internment of Japanese Americans.

Facilitation Tip: During the HUAC Hearing simulation, assign roles like witnesses, committee members, and audience members to ensure every student actively participates in the drama of the hearing.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: The Blacklist

Small groups research the impact of the Red Scare on Hollywood or the teaching profession. They create a 'profile' of an individual whose career was destroyed by accusations and discuss the lack of evidence required for a 'blacklist.'

Prepare & details

Critique the Supreme Court's decision in Korematsu v. United States.

Facilitation Tip: For the Blacklist investigation, provide students with redacted primary sources to analyze the vague accusations and lack of evidence used to justify blacklisting.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: 'Have You No Sense of Decency?'

Students watch or read the climax of the Army-McCarthy hearings. They work in pairs to discuss why this single moment led to the sudden collapse of McCarthy's power and what it says about the importance of public perception.

Prepare & details

Evaluate whether the internment was a security necessity or a racist injustice.

Facilitation Tip: In the 'Have You No Sense of Decency?' Think-Pair-Share, ask students to compare Senator McCarthy’s rhetoric to modern examples of political fear-mongering to deepen their analysis.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teach this topic by centering primary sources and firsthand accounts to humanize the experience of those targeted by anti-communist hysteria and internment. Avoid presenting the events as inevitable; instead, guide students to explore the choices made by individuals and institutions. Research shows that when students see the parallels between historical and contemporary issues, they engage more deeply with the ethical questions at stake.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students demonstrating empathy while critically evaluating historical events. They should articulate the consequences of policy decisions and discuss the ethical dilemmas faced by individuals and institutions. Written reflections and debates should show nuanced understanding of civil liberties versus national security.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the HUAC Hearing simulation, watch for students assuming McCarthy was the sole architect of the Red Scare. Redirect them to examine the roles of the FBI, local governments, and Truman’s loyalty programs mentioned in the simulation’s background materials.

What to Teach Instead

During the Blacklist investigation, students often assume all accused communists were actual spies. Redirect them to analyze the primary sources provided, which highlight how accusations were based on flimsy or ideological grounds rather than evidence.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the HUAC Hearing simulation, facilitate a structured debate where students present opposing viewpoints on whether the internment of Japanese Americans was a justifiable security measure or a violation of civil rights. Assess their arguments using evidence from primary and secondary sources they gathered during the simulation.

Quick Check

During the Blacklist investigation, ask students to identify the central argument in the majority opinion of the Korematsu v. United States decision and explain why Justice Murphy’s dissent is significant in retrospect. Collect their responses to assess their understanding of the legal and ethical implications.

Exit Ticket

After the 'Have You No Sense of Decency?' Think-Pair-Share, ask students to write a short reflection on one key lesson about the balance between national security and individual liberties from the Japanese American internment experience. Use these reflections to gauge their ability to connect historical events to broader themes.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge students to research and present a case study of another historical moment where national security clashed with civil liberties, such as the Palmer Raids or modern surveillance policies.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence stems for students who struggle with the Blacklist activity, such as 'The evidence used to blacklist this person was... because...'
• Deeper exploration: Have students write a letter to a senator in 1950 arguing either for or against the tactics of HUAC, using evidence from their simulation and investigation.

Key Vocabulary

Executive Order 9066	The presidential order signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1942 that authorized the forced removal and incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry from designated military areas on the West Coast.
internment camp	A facility, often hastily constructed and with minimal amenities, where Japanese Americans were forcibly confined during World War II, despite many being US citizens.
habeas corpus	A legal recourse through which a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment to a court, demanding that the custodian justify their custody.
Nisei	Second-generation Japanese Americans, born in the United States, who were largely citizens and were also subject to internment.
Issei	First-generation Japanese immigrants to the United States, who were often ineligible for citizenship and faced particular discrimination.