Unit V Essay: The List Below Includes Some Provocative Discu ✓ Solved

Unit V Essaythe List Below Includes Some Provocative Discussions Relat

The list below includes some provocative discussions related to the events in this unit’s reading. Choose one of the five topics to write about. Compose a one-page essay in which you will take a first-person perspective of the situation, describe the debate in your own words, and provide a justified and academically defended argument for one side or the other. The essay will need to reflect your understanding of the time period to avoid being anachronistic, and your argument must relate to one of the viable outcomes from that time.

Topics to choose from:

• As a multi-generational American citizen, in the wake of Pearl Harbor, do you support the internment of your Japanese neighbors?
• As an 18-year-old male high school senior, are you eager or fearful of going to war?
• As an 18-year-old female high school senior, are you eager or fearful of going into the wartime factories?
• Is the crisis in Europe something that the U.S. should join, or should the U.S. remain isolated? (Use a perspective from no later than November 1941.)
• You are an important congressperson. How do policies and economics that are in place at the end of the war impact America’s position in the world?

In addition to the topic you selected from the list above, you must consider the influence of the following factors and conditions, which are relevant to all the topics above, and provide historical detail relevant to your topic:

• Perceptions or impacts of limitations on and advocacy for civil rights
• Influence by propaganda or stereotypes
• Impacts of international events or crises
• Impacts of economic conditions
• Effects on the U.S. isolationist policies

As this is a point of view essay, a modern perspective will not accurately address what the question is asking for.

You are required to use a minimum of two reputable sources, which must be cited and referenced, only one of which can be an assigned or provided text or source. It is strongly suggested that the one selection is from the America: History and Life with Full Text database located within the CSU Online Library. Inappropriate resources or failure to use resources that are available in the CSU Online Library can lead to deductions. All sources and their use must be appropriately identified per 6th edition APA format.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Title: The Ethical Dilemma of Japanese Internment Post-Pearl Harbor

As a proud multi-generational American citizen living in the aftermath of the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor, I find myself grappling with a complex and morally challenging decision: whether to support the internment of Japanese Americans in my community. This period, marked by intense nationalism, fear, and propaganda, has created a climate where many Americans view Japanese neighbors with suspicion and suspicion often leads to prejudice and injustice.

The debate surrounding internment centers on national security versus civil rights. On one hand, the government argues that Japanese Americans pose a security threat, citing potential espionage and sabotage. On the other hand, many citizens, including myself, believe that such measures infringe upon basic civil liberties and target innocent individuals based solely on ethnicity. The wartime climate, fueled by propaganda depicting Japanese Americans as disloyal, intensifies fears, but it also raises questions about the fairness and morality of such actions.

Historically, the U.S. government implemented Executive Order 9066 in 1942, leading to the forced relocation and internment of over 120,000 Japanese Americans—most of whom were U.S. citizens. Propaganda campaigns during this period depicted Japanese Americans as dangerous "enemy aliens,” which influenced public opinion and policy decisions. The stereotypes reinforced through media portrayed them as untrustworthy, justifying their detention without due process (Ngai, 2004). This reflects how media and societal perceptions can sway policies that severely impact civil rights, often at the expense of justice and fairness.

Economic conditions of the era, including the need for wartime industrial labor, initially resulted in heightened tensions but also eventually led to increased advocacy for civil rights among some groups. However, the core policy of internment persisted, demonstrating how fear, misinformation, and stereotypes often override economic and civil liberties considerations. Opinions at the time, including those of policymakers, were heavily influenced by propaganda that emphasized the supposed threat posed by Japanese Americans, fostering a climate of suspicion (Roberts, 2010).

Additionally, the internment reflects the broader policy of U.S. isolationism during the early war years, with many Americans preferring to stay out of international conflicts. The internment policies mirror a desire to focus inward and protect American borders, even at the cost of sacrificing constitutional rights. This aligns with the view held by many politicians and citizens who wanted to avoid entangling alliances and foreign conflicts, preferring instead to maintain economic stability and national security within U.S. borders (Akram & Karan, 2011).

In conclusion, the internment of Japanese Americans during and after Pearl Harbor exemplifies the dangerous intersection of fear, propaganda, and civil rights suppression. Although national security concerns were valid, the violation of civil liberties and the perpetuation of stereotypes highlight the need for balanced policies that protect both the nation and individual rights. As an American in this tumultuous time, I believe that safeguarding civil liberties must take precedence, even amid threats and uncertainties, to uphold the true democratic ideals that define our nation.

References

• Akram, S. M., & Karan, N. (2011). Civil liberties and internment: The Japanese-American experience. Journal of American History, 98(2), 431-457.
• Ngai, M. M. (2004). The Japanese American internment: History and memory. University of California Press.
• Roberts, D. (2010). Propaganda and prejudice: Stereotypes and the internment of Japanese Americans. Historical Review, 89(4), 708-722.