War Relocation Authority
Quick Summary
The War Relocation Authority (WRA) was a United States government agency established on March 18, 1942, in response to Executive Order 9066. This order, signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, allowed the U.S. military to exclude individuals from designated areas. While not explicitly naming them, the order primarily targeted Japanese Americans.
The WRA's mission was to take Japanese Americans into custody, prevent them from acquiring land, and eventually return them to their homes after the war. Between 1942 and 1945, approximately 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, were detained in 10 internment camps across several western states. This action was a grave injustice, and in 1988, Congress passed the Civil Liberties Act to provide reparations for this historical wrong.12
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Japanese American internmentRelocation…March 18, 1942, the federal War Relocation Authority (WRA) was established. Its mission was to “take all people of Japanese descent into custody, surround them with troops, prevent them from buying land, and return them to their former homes at the close of the war.”
Read More…March 18, 1942, the federal War Relocation Authority (WRA) was established. Its mission was to “take all people of Japanese descent into custody, surround them with troops, prevent them from buying land, and return them to their former homes at the close of the war.”
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What Was Life Like in Japanese American Internment Camps?…to the formation of the War Relocation Authority. Its mission was, according to a report at the time, to “take all people of Japanese descent into custody, surround them with troops, prevent them from buying land, and return them to their former homes at the close of the war.”
Read More…to the formation of the War Relocation Authority. Its mission was, according to a report at the time, to “take all people of Japanese descent into custody, surround them with troops, prevent them from buying land, and return them to their former homes at the close of the war.”
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