Executive Order 9066
Although there were no justifications and because of pressure from various officials of the federal government, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Executive Order 9066 "Executive Order 9066"on February 19, 1942. By signing the Executive Order, President Roosevelt authorized the internment of thousands of Japanese Americans.[16]
"NOW, THEREFORE, by the virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War, and the Military Commanders whom he may from time to time designate, whenever he or any designated Commander deems such action necessary or desirable, to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of any person to enter, remain in, or leave shall be subject to whatever restrictions the Secretary of War or the appropriate Military Commanders may impose in his discretion . . ."
-Franklin D. Roosevelt The White House February 19, 1942 [17]
One reason why the U.S. was able to get away with the Executive Order is because the written document had no specifications. It gave the Secretary of War (now known as the Secretary of Defense) and military commanders the authority to exclude any person from a designated area. So essentially, although its authority was used only against Japanese Americans, it could have affected any American because there were no geographical locations specified, no ethnic groups mentioned, and there was no distinction made between citizens and aliens, which is why they were able to force even Japanese Americans who were U.S. citizens into the internment camps. The Executive Order basically gave the military full control. [18] |
