Citizens to Criminals
The Truth Behind Japanese Relocation
Propaganda
This image is an example of the propaganda used by the U.S government to prove the relocation process was freindly. The photo shows smiling, happy Japanese Americans aboard a train to the Internment camps. Propaganda in this picture shows a relocation process that the Japanese were willing and happy to make. The childrens faces were filled with excitement and curiosity about their upcoming journey. The photo makes the harsh and dangerous experience look like a fun exciting journey for all Japanese Americans.
Children being transported to assembly center in truck
Armed soldiers watch as they are loaded into trains
Armed soldiers at interment watch towers
The Real Truth Behind Relocating 117,000 Japanese Americans
The U.S government used propaganda to trick people into thinking they treated Japanese Americans kindly throughout E-Day, but in reality they treated them like dangerous criminals. For example, they locked children in the back of a dirty truck to transport them to the assembly center. When they arrived at the assembly center they were met by armed guards and made to stand shoulder to shoulder. Upon their arrival to the camps guards on towers watched their every move. While propaganda made the relocation process seem peaceful, in reality the process put fear into the relocated citizens. Yoshiko Uchida described her thoughts as, "I saw the armed guards at each doorways, their bayonets mounted at the ready... I realized the full horror of the situation," (Burgan- The Japanese American Internment). The way the U.S relocated Japanese citizens was inhumane, and should be a lesson for future generations on how not to treat your citizens.