Name: ___________________________

Date: ________________

Period: ________

WebQuest: Internment of Japanese-Americans in World War II

Instructions: Fill out this WebQuest on the pages below by using the links to answer the following
questions. Be sure to carefully follow the directions located next to each link in the green-shaded boxes
to ensure you can answer the questions correctly.

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The Road to Pearl Harbor: Click to follow the link. Then, please read the short summary of the
road to Pearl Harbor located on this page and respond to these questions:
1. Describe and examine the relationship between Japan and the U.S. before the
events of Pearl Harbor.

2. Why did the Japanese decide to attack Pearl Harbor instead of choosing to invade
the mainland U.S.?

Pearl Harbor: Click to follow the link. When the world map appears on your page, click the North
America link. Then, click the tile in the upper left-hand corner of the page, where the words Pearl
Harbor will appear as you hover over it. Use the arrows on the left to read through the text.
Afterwards, click the picture in the middle of the screen and use the arrows at the bottom to browse
through the Pearl Harbor gallery.
1. According to President Roosevelt, what was the day that will live in infamy?

2. How many people were killed as a result of the attack on Pearl Harbor?

3. Assess the effect Pearl Harbor may have had on American attitudes towards the
Japanese.

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 4. Which ship currently remains at Pearl Harbor as a memorial to those lost?

Executive Order 9066: Click to follow the link. Once the page has loaded, please read the
transcript of Executive Order 9066 and answer the questions below.
1. Who signed this Executive order?

2. List three things you think are important that are mentioned in this document.

3. Summarize Executive Order 9066 and explain why it was written (use quotes from
the document to support your answer).

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Japanese-Americans: Click to follow the link. Once the page has loaded, click the North
America link once again. Then, click the tile in the upper right-hand corner, where the words
Japanese Americans will appear as your mouse hovers over it. Use the arrows to the left to read
through the text. Afterwards, click the tile that says Manzanar Relocation Center to view the
pictures. Finally, click the X in the top right-hand corner of the tile, and then click the War
Relocation Authority tile to view a map with the locations of the different Japanese-American
internment camps and the number of detainees at each location.
1. Approximately, how many Japanese-Americans were forcibly relocated during
World War II?

2. Define Issei, Nissei, and Sansei.

3. How do you think Japanese-Americans felt while being forced to leave their homes?

4. How many different internment camps were there? Which internment camp held
the largest number of detainees? How many Japanese-Americans were detained
there?

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 5. Indicate where Japanese-Americans were relocated during World War II by labeling
the map below with the locations of the different internment camps.

Firsthand Accounts: Living in the Camps: Click to follow the link. Then, click the Listen
button to hear the introduction. After you have finished listening to the introduction, click the bolded
words Begin the Story Experience. From here, click the Internment link in the navigation menu,
and then click Permanent Camps. Using the button at the bottom, scroll to the right as you read
about and listen to the experiences of those who lived in the internment camps until you have
finished the Arts and Culture section. Once you have done this, please answer the questions below.
1. What did each of the internment camps have in common?

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2. How does it make you feel to hear Mutsu H. discussing her conversation with an
American soldier, in which she was asked the question, Are you a human being?

3. Describe the living conditions of the camps using the testimony of the internees.
What was the weather like? What kind of food did they eat? What was it like?

4. Compare and contrast the Japanese-American internment camps with what you
have learned about the Jewish concentration camps of the Holocaust. How are they
alike, and how are they different?

5. Imagine being an internee in one of the camps. Based on what you have learned, do
you think you could have lived in those camps? Why or why not?

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Fred Korematsu v. United States: Click to follow the link. Please watch the video and
respond to the following questions:
1. Who was Fred Korematsu?

2. What crime was he charged with?

3. What was the Supreme Courts decision in Korematsu v. United States?

4. Explain and evaluate both the majority and the dissenting opinions of this
controversial decision.

5. When did the internment camps begin to close?

6. When and how did the U.S. government attempt to make amends for the
internment of Japanese-Americans? Do you feel the U.S. government did enough
for Japanese-Americans, or should it have done more? Explain.

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7. Do you think that something similar to Japanese-American internment could
happen again in the U.S.? Why or why not?