Internment

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"Now, therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War, and the Military Commanders whom he may from time to time designate, whenever he or any designated Commander deems such action necessary or desirable, to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of any person to enter, remain in, or leave shall be subject to whatever restrictions the Secretary of War or the appropriate Military Commander may impose in his discretion."

The above quote is an excerpt of Executive Order 9066. This order authorized exclusion and began Japanese internment in the United States. FDR made the controversial decision in response to the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. The bombing was devastating and terrifying for the American people. As a result of this incident, the United States entered into World War II.
Under Executive Order 9066 more than 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry, a majority of whom were American citizens, were segregated from the general population and placed into internment camps. The camps were fenced and surrounded by armed guards. Some argue that this action was taken solely for public safety reasons, but no similar action was taken against German or Italian Americans. For more than forty years, groups and individuals sought justice for the government's mistreatment of Japanese Americans. It was not until 1988 that they were acknowledged.