Significant Japanese American Internment Camps

Why This Matters

The forced removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II stands as one of the most significant constitutional violations in U.S. history. Understanding these camps means understanding how wartime hysteria, racial prejudice, and failures of political leadership combined to strip American citizens of their rights without due process. You're being tested not just on names and locations, but on the broader themes of civil liberties, executive power, resistance movements, and the long struggle for redress and recognition.

Each camp tells a different story about the Japanese American experience—some became sites of organized resistance, others showcased remarkable cultural resilience, and all demonstrate how communities maintained dignity under dehumanizing conditions. Don't just memorize which camp was in which state; know what each camp reveals about government overreach, community solidarity, and the varied responses to injustice that continue to inform civil rights discussions today.

---

Sites of Organized Resistance

Some camps became focal points for challenging the legality and morality of incarceration itself. These sites demonstrate that Japanese Americans were not passive victims but active agents who questioned their treatment through legal challenges, draft resistance, and collective action.

Tule Lake War Relocation Center

• Designated as the sole "segregation center"—housed those who answered "no-no" to loyalty questionnaire questions 27 and 28, or who requested repatriation to Japan
• Maximum security conditions including stockades, tanks, and increased military presence made it the most heavily guarded of all camps
• Site of significant protests and strikes in 1943, reflecting deep frustrations over unjust treatment and the impossible position created by the loyalty questionnaire

Heart Mountain War Relocation Center

• Home to the Heart Mountain Fair Play Committee—the largest organized draft resistance movement in the camps, challenging the constitutionality of drafting incarcerated citizens
• Located in Wyoming and housed approximately 14,000 Japanese Americans who endured harsh winters with inadequate heating and shelter
• 63 resisters were convicted and imprisoned, though they were later pardoned, making Heart Mountain central to debates about patriotism and civil disobedience

---

Camps Demonstrating Community Resilience

Despite devastating conditions, internees created schools, newspapers, arts programs, and social organizations. These efforts to maintain normalcy and cultural identity reveal the strength of community bonds under extreme pressure.

Manzanar War Relocation Center

• First camp to open (March 1942) and among the most documented, making it the iconic symbol of the internment experience in public memory
• Located in California's Owens Valley and housed over 10,000 Japanese Americans in tar-paper barracks with communal facilities that disrupted family structures
• Now a National Historic Site with an interpretive center, preserving artifacts, photographs, and oral histories that serve as primary sources for understanding daily camp life

Topaz War Relocation Center

• Remarkable cultural production including the Topaz Times newspaper and artwork by notable artists like Chiura Obata, who established an art school within the camp
• Located in Utah's Sevier Desert where extreme temperatures, dust storms, and alkaline soil created harsh living conditions for approximately 8,000 internees
• Children's artwork from Topaz has become historically significant, documenting the internment experience through young eyes and now preserved in museum collections

Gila River War Relocation Center

• Comprehensive educational system from elementary through high school, plus adult education programs that maintained academic continuity for students
• Located on the Gila River Indian Reservation in Arizona, raising complex questions about the federal government's use of Native American land for incarcerating another minority group
• Housed approximately 13,000 internees who faced flooding, extreme heat, and infrastructure challenges while building community institutions

---

Agricultural Labor Camps

Several camps emphasized agricultural production, with internees transforming desert land into productive farms. This labor—often performed by skilled farmers who had lost their own land—highlights the bitter irony of contributing to the war effort while being denied basic rights.

Poston War Relocation Center

• Largest of all camps by population with over 17,000 Japanese Americans across three separate administrative units (Poston I, II, and III)
• Built on the Colorado River Indian Reservation in Arizona, again involving Native American land and creating tensions over water rights and land use
• Agricultural projects transformed desert into farmland, with internees growing crops that supported the camp and contributed to the broader war effort despite their incarceration

Minidoka War Relocation Center

• Internees developed extensive irrigation systems and agricultural projects that turned Idaho desert into productive farmland, demonstrating the expertise of Japanese American farmers
• Housed approximately 9,000 internees, primarily from the Pacific Northwest, who faced harsh winters and primitive initial conditions
• Now a National Historic Site where original structures and the honor roll of Japanese Americans who served in the military from Minidoka are preserved

Rohwer War Relocation Center

• Located in the Arkansas Delta, one of two camps in the South, where internees from California and Hawaii faced an unfamiliar climate and Jim Crow segregation
• Agricultural production included cotton and vegetables, with internees contributing to local food supplies while experiencing the region's racial dynamics
• Japanese cemetery and memorial monuments remain at the site, maintained by the local community and serving as lasting tributes to those who died during incarceration

---

Camps Facing Severe Hardship

All camps imposed suffering, but some faced particularly challenging conditions due to location, overcrowding, or infrastructure failures. These sites reveal the government's inadequate planning and the physical toll of incarceration.

Granada War Relocation Center (Amache)

• Most remote of the camps located in southeastern Colorado, where internees faced isolation, harsh winters, and limited resources
• Highest rate of military volunteers per capita despite conditions, with 31 internees killed in action—demonstrating complex responses to proving loyalty while incarcerated
• Designated a National Historic Landmark and recently elevated to National Historic Site status, with ongoing archaeological work uncovering daily life details

Jerome War Relocation Center

• First camp to close (June 1944) with internees transferred to other facilities, primarily to Rohwer and the Tule Lake segregation center
• Located in swampy Arkansas terrain where internees cleared land, built structures, and battled mosquitoes, snakes, and flooding
• Maintained cultural identity through community organizations including churches, newspapers, and social clubs that preserved Japanese American traditions

---

Quick Reference Table

---

Self-Check Questions

1. Which two camps became the primary centers of organized resistance, and how did their forms of protest differ?

2. Identify three camps that are now designated National Historic Sites or Landmarks. Why is the preservation of these sites historically significant?

3. Compare and contrast Poston and Tule Lake in terms of their size, purpose, and the experiences of internees at each location.

4. If an FRQ asked you to explain how Japanese Americans maintained cultural identity during incarceration, which camps would provide the strongest evidence, and why?

5. Two camps were built on Native American reservation land. Name them and explain what this reveals about federal policies toward minority communities during World War II.