Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, led the United States into World War II. It radically changed the lives of 120,000 men, women, and children of Japanese ancestry living in the United States. The attack intensified racial prejudices.
Without due process, the government gave everyone of Japanese ancestry living on the West coast only days to decide what to do with their houses, farms, businesses, and other possessions before they were relocated.