Concentration camps were a way of telling Asian Americans they weren’t trusted and still seen as the enemy. It is as simple as that. They knew it, soldiers knew it, regular citizens knew it, and everyone knew it. The concentration camps wouldn’t have been made if the U.S. government saw the Asian American citizens as their own people, but they didn’t. 

Now if you kind of think about it, it does make sense in a way. The U.S. is going at war with Japan and that is where most of the Asian Americans came from. They have family over in Japan and some once had a life in Japan. If some of the Asian Americans became soldiers in the U.S. Army and were fighting against Japan, you do wonder if they would ever betray you. Would they tell their friends or family what their plan is and risk their cover being blown? You truly never know. If it came down to life or death, would they betray their country’s Army to help their family on the enemy’s team or would they stick with their truth and their morals to help the U.S. Army to win the battle. 

You can kind of see where the U.S. government was coming from in making the concentration camps. There is a big what if, that they just do not know and can not take the risk of sacrificing the country and everyone else’s home. I am not saying make camps for people of a certain race and give them horrible living conditions with poor food and water and no childhood for the kids. The conditions that the Asian Americans went through were horrible and no one should have to experience that under any circumstances especially the people from their own home. There should have been another way to reconcile with everyone so that they could agree on better terms. Like the survey that was handed out while they were all ready in the concentration camps. Something like that should have been the first option and not kicking U.S. citizens out of their own home and denying them the option to serve for their country. The U.S. government should have thought through this a lot better and be respectful towards the Asian Americans. 

I also know how the Asian Americans kind of felt during this time. It definitely will never be nowhere near what they went through. But if my soccer coaches told me to leave because we are playing one of my old teams I would be just as angry. I haven’t been on another team in years. Just like how some of the Asian Americans who have never even been to Japan or have not been there in a very long time. I would never leave my team and join the other side just because we are playing a team that I was once on. Again just like the Asian Americans would not join Japan just because their country is going against them. 

Moral of the story is do not ever think someone is against you just because of where they came from. People evolve and have different beliefs and new morals. We mature and discover new things, be a part of something different.