We played tourist today, visiting several landmarks around DC. We visited one of the lesser-know monuments, the National Japanese-American Memorial to Patriotism During World War II. Many people are unaware of this, but in Feb 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which would ultimately lead to the forced removal and internment of over 120,000 Americans of Japanese descent to desolate internment camps throughout the western US (One of the biggest was Manzanar, at the base of the Sierra Nevada just north of Lone Pine, California.). This happened not as a result of any legal burden of proof, but because they came from a Japanese family.
In 1988, President Reagan passed legislation apologizing for governmental actions and recognizing significant contributions by Japanese-Americans to the war effort during WWII.
You can read more about this time period here:
Without making any political statements here, it is an understatement to say that this was a disappointing period in American history, and I'd encourage anyone to visit this memorial the next time you are in DC. It's on Louisiana Avenue between the Capital and Union Station.
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