---
title: "Commission on Wartime Relocation | California History"
description: "Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians was the U.S. body that investigated Japanese American internment and led to reparations in California History."
canonical: "https://fiveable.me/hs-california-history/key-terms/commission-on-wartime-relocation-and-internment-of-civilians"
type: "key-term"
subject: "California History"
unit: "Unit 12"
---

# Commission on Wartime Relocation | California History

## Definition

The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians was a U.S. government panel that investigated Japanese American internment and recommended reparations. In California History, it marks the later official reckoning with wartime injustice.

## What It Is

The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians was a federal investigative body created in 1980 to review the wartime incarceration of Japanese Americans, with major relevance for California History because so many of the people affected lived on the West Coast. Its job was not to run camps or manage policy during World War II, but to look back at what happened, hear testimony, and decide whether the internment had any real military justification.

The commission matters because it connected California’s wartime experience to a larger civil liberties story. After Pearl Harbor, fear and racism spread quickly across the state, and Japanese American families were forced out of homes, farms, and businesses. Decades later, the commission examined that history and concluded that the policy came from racial prejudice, war hysteria, and political failure, not proven necessity.

That conclusion gave official language to something many survivors and historians had long argued. In a California History class, this is the moment when the internment story shifts from wartime policy to historical accountability. The commission gathered survivor testimony, public records, and legal evidence, then issued a report that acknowledged the damage done to Japanese American communities.

The report also helped build support for redress. Its findings influenced the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which included an apology and financial compensation for survivors. That makes the commission part of the long aftermath of internment, not just a footnote. You can think of it as the government’s later attempt to say, on the record, that the original decision violated civil liberties.

For California students, the term usually shows up when you are tracing cause and effect across World War II, civil rights, and memory. It connects the wartime removal of Japanese Americans to the later political effort to correct that injustice.

## Why It Matters

In California History, this commission is the clearest bridge between the wartime removal of Japanese Americans and the later civil rights response to that injustice. It shows that history is not only about what happened in the 1940s, but also about how later generations judged those events.

The term helps you explain why internment is remembered as a civil liberties violation. When you write about the topic, you are not just naming the camps or the executive order. You are showing that the federal government later admitted the policy was driven by racism and fear, which changes how historians interpret the event.

It also helps you connect the Japanese American experience to the broader California story of immigration, citizenship, and state power. California was one of the places where the effects of internment were felt most strongly, especially in farming communities and urban neighborhoods. The commission shows how a state history topic can become a national lesson about constitutional rights.

If you are studying reparations or government apologies, this is one of the main examples to know. It gives you a concrete case of how historical investigations can lead to policy changes years later.

## Connections

### Japanese Internment

This is the event the commission investigated. Japanese Internment is the wartime removal and incarceration of Japanese Americans, especially on the West Coast, and the commission later examined whether that action had any legitimate military basis. The two terms belong together, but one names the historical event while the other names the later government review.

### Executive Order 9066

Executive Order 9066 was the presidential order that made internment possible. The commission’s work was built around the consequences of that order, especially how it led to forced relocation in California. If you are tracing a timeline, Executive Order 9066 comes first, and the commission comes decades later as a form of historical reckoning.

### Civil Liberties Act of 1988

The commission’s findings helped push this law forward. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 apologized to survivors and provided reparations, so it is the policy outcome connected to the commission’s report. In an essay, you can use the two together to show how historical investigation can lead to legal redress.

### [War Relocation Authority](/hs-california-history/key-terms/war-relocation-authority)

The War Relocation Authority was the agency that managed the camps during World War II, while the commission later studied the effects of that system. One is part of the wartime machinery, and the other is part of the later review process. Keeping them separate helps you avoid mixing up who carried out internment and who investigated it.

## On the AP Exam

A quiz or essay question might ask you to explain how California responded to Japanese American internment after World War II. Use the commission as the evidence of later government recognition that the policy was wrong. You can also use it in a timeline item to show that redress came decades after the wartime removal, not during the war itself.

If you get a source analysis or short response, look for language about civil liberties, reparations, or official apology. The commission is the piece that shows how historical memory changed. A strong answer usually links the original injustice to the later report and then to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.

## Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians vs War Relocation Authority

These are easy to mix up because both are tied to Japanese American internment, but they did different jobs at different times. The War Relocation Authority ran the camps during World War II, while the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians investigated that policy later and recommended redress.

## Key Takeaways

- The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians was a later federal investigation into Japanese American internment, not the wartime agency that carried it out.
- Its report concluded that internment was driven by racial prejudice, war hysteria, and failed leadership rather than real military need.
- In California History, the commission shows how the state’s wartime experience became a civil liberties issue with long-term consequences.
- The commission helped lead to the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which offered an official apology and reparations to survivors.
- Use this term when you want to explain the difference between the wartime violation and the later attempt to acknowledge and repair it.

## FAQs

### What is the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians in California History?

It was a U.S. government commission created in 1980 to investigate the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. In California History, it represents the later official review of a major civil liberties abuse tied to the state’s wartime experience.

### What did the commission conclude about Japanese internment?

The commission concluded that internment was caused by racial prejudice, war hysteria, and poor political leadership, not proven military necessity. That finding matters because it directly challenged the idea that the policy was justified.

### How is the commission different from the War Relocation Authority?

The War Relocation Authority managed the camps during World War II, while the commission studied the internment decades later. One carried out the policy, and the other investigated its causes and consequences.

### Why does this term matter for California students?

California was the center of the West Coast removal of Japanese Americans, so the commission is part of the state’s wartime and civil rights history. It also connects local events to later reparations and government apology.

## Related Study Guides

- [12.2 Japanese internment and its consequences](/hs-california-history/unit-12/japanese-internment-consequences/study-guide/KcgVl8qGOfKTwgPj)

## About This Document

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