Executive Order 9066: The President Authorizes Japanese Relocation Theme of Home

"E.O., phone home."

Within a given text, not every theme is necessarily explicit. Often there are subtler ideas at play as well. And while the concept of power seems to bulldoze any sort of nuance from Executive Order 9066, implicit themes do exist. One of these has to do with the notion of "home."

E.O. 9066 was created to protect the homeland and maintain security, safety, and peace on American soil. In doing so, it separated many, many people from their individual homes.

For the older generation of Japanese Americans, the Issei who were born in Japan, they had already left their homes once to establish a new life in the United States. Imagine being told that, after years of raising families and contributing to society in your adopted country, you were told you no longer belonged. Or rather, that you belonged in an internment camp, which, as you remember, is just a soft way of saying "concentration camp."

E.O. 9066 raises some bigger, tougher questions about the nature of home, like: what is it, and where is it? And, in a time of war, who deserves one?

Perhaps it's a question of rights versus privilege? For more on this, jump down to the aptly titled "Rights Versus Privilege."

1. In E.O. 9066, FDR directs "all Executive Departments, independent establishments and other Federal Agencies" to provide basic supplies such as medical aid, hospitalization, food, and clothing to Japanese American prisoners. Do you think FDR was attempting to improve the ethical conditions of an unethical situation?
2. What is "home" to you, and how would you feel if it were suddenly taken away?
3. What is the difference between securing the homeland and protecting one's home?
4. During wartime, regular comforts are often set aside. It can be argued that the removal of Japanese Americans from their homes was an extreme example of this. Do you agree? Why or why not?

The comforts of home dissolve once a nation is under the threat of war, and sacrifices have to be made during times of crisis. In retrospect, the evacuation of Japanese Americans was regrettable, but the larger idea of America as a whole, as the homeland, was in jeopardy. All measures had to be taken to protect it.

Within the context of a democratic and free nation, when the sanctity of one home is violated, the sanctity of all homes are violated. The evacuation of Japanese Americans was an injustice not just to the prisoners, but to all Americans.