CG A Just War

The United States Pledge of Allegiance states that we are “one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”, but what does that liberty and justice mean? Is it okay to enter war if we’re fighting to have “justice for all”? December 7, 1941 the Japanese bombed the American fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Just this attack killed 2,335 people, most of those people being from the Army, the Marines and the Navy. President Franklin Roosevelt was already providing some help to the “Allied” countries , but now the United States was on the ground, fighting against the “Axis” countries, specifically Japan. The Pearl Harbor attack I think was enough reason for the United States to justly enter World War 2, as United States was keeping a promise to their people; “justice for all”.

President Franklin Roosevelt, the longest serving president in American history (1933-1945) was the president who entered us in World War 2. The congress and President Roosevelt did many things leading up to the United States officially entering World War 2, even before the Pearl Harbor attack. In November 1939, President Roosevelt persuaded Congress to repeal the “Arms Embargo Provisions of the Neutrality Law” so that weapons could be sold to France and Britain. After the fall of France in the spring of June 1940, President Roosevelt also pushed congress for a military buildup and began providing aid in the form of “Lend-Lease” to Britain, which stood alone against the Axis powers at that time. But the lead to the Pearl Harbor attack was the rising conflict between Japan and the United States which was American officials taking away access to essential supplies Japan needed to survive as a country. American officials only did this after Japan declared war on China in 1937 because Japan believed that the only way to solve their economic and demographic problems was to invade China and take over their market. With this ongoing conflict, Japan planned the attack to take down United States Military that was in the Pacific which lead to congress approving Roosevelt’s declaration of war on Japan December 8, 1941. Three days later, Japan’s allies Germany and Italy declared war against the United States.

Some would say that what came after the United States entering World War 2, was one of the most inhumane moments in history. With Japan as our enemy, and the hit on Pearl harbor still fresh in our hearts, there was a lot of anger and a lot of suspicions. The United States being in a very careful state after the attack, our government had no time for mistakes. The Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World

War 2 by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. This Executive Order was put in place to keep Japanese Americans (specifically West Coast Japanese Americans) in check and have them be put in American Concentration Camps. Camps held up to 18,000 people, and were like small cities. Inside the camps the government provided medical care, food, and education. Adults were offered "camp jobs" with wages of $12 to $19 per month.

The Executive Order 9066 was unjust, it was such a racist law and it should have never been passed. The Executive Order 9066 should have been issued as a unconstitutional law, violating the rights of Japanese Americans. Most people who were inside the camps were U.S citizens which should have been enough reason not to be put in the camps. The Constitution recognizes a number of inalienable human rights, specifically the right to keep and bear arms, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment, and the right to a fair trial by jury. The right to keep and bear arms could have been used as a way for Japanese Americans to protect themselves, but out of fear did not try, the freedom from cruel and unusual punishment should have been implemented but was not. Even after World War 2 and the end of the Executive Order 9066, Japanese suffered for decades from prejudice and racially-motivated fear, making a injust dent in a community that deserved the same privileges other U.S citizens had.

In conclusion, World War 2 started as a justified war with the United states simply keeping a promise to their people. But not a long time after United States entered the war did we forget who our people were. Creating laws that were used to keep Japanese Americans oppressed, and later killing thousands of their people during World War 2. Stumping as low as our enemies and using the same tactics they did (concentration camps). Taking away inalienable human rights from people, who would be effected for generations. Even if we were attacked, and we had the interest of helping Japan's neighbor (China), the United States should have not gone so far as passed the Executive Order 9066 taking people from their homes and treating them less than humans.

Works Cited History.com Staff. "Pearl Harbor." ​History.com.​ A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 19 May. 2018.

Ives, Justin. "Reasons for American Entry Into WWII." ​Owlcation​. Owlcation, 30 Apr. 2017. Web. 19 May. 2018.

"Transcript of Executive Order 9066: Resulting in the Relocation of Japanese (1942)." ​Our Documents - National Industrial Recovery Act (1933)​. Web. 19 May. 2018.

"World War II (1939-1945)." ​Southern Tenant Farmer's Union​. Web. 19 May. 2018.