Japanese American Incarceration in California
Finding aid created by University Archives and Special Collections staff using RecordEXPRESS
California State University, Fullerton. University Archives and Special Collections
2024
800 N. State College Blvd.
Pollak Library South, Room 352
Fullerton, California 92834-4150
(657) 278-3445
uasc@fullerton.libanswers.com
http://www.library.fullerton.edu/
Title: Japanese American Incarceration in California
Dates: 1941-1992
Collection Number: Local History_ 29-7-1
Creator/Collector:
Extent: 8 Boxes ; Some oversized items
Repository:
California State University, Fullerton. University Archives and Special Collections
Fullerton, California 92834-4150
Abstract: Japanese American Incarceration in California is composed mainly of documents related to the relocation program during World
War II. Items include the official government report of the Manzanar Relocation Center, oral histories, a photo album, post-war
activism related to preserving and remembering the camps, and various clippings and documents. The strength of this collection
is found in its many perspectives on the controversial "relocation" program and how it has been presented since World War
II.
Language of Material: English
The collection is open for research. Some materials within the collection are subject to reproduction restrictions.
Property rights reside with the California State University, Fullerton University Archives and Special Collections. No part
may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the University Archives & Special Collections, CSU Fullerton
or the copyright holder.Requests for permission to quote from these materials should be addressed to:
California State University, Fullerton
University Archives & Special Collections
800 N. State College, PLS-352 |Fullerton, CA 92834-3599
(657) 278-3444
[Identification of item]. Japanese American Incarceration in California. Collection Number: Local History_ 29-7-1. California
State University, Fullerton. University Archives and Special Collections
Biography/Administrative History
On February 19th, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the forced removal of
Japanese-American citizens on the West Coast. For the duration of the war, 110,000 citizens forcibly resided in Relocation
Centers across the western half of the United States. Most famous of these internment camps was Manzanar, near Death Valley,
and Tule Lake in Northern California. Although the relocation program was authorized due to fears of a Japanese attack from
within US borders; not a single internee was convicted for a war related crime.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Japanese American Incarceration in California collection consists of documents related to the relocation program during
World War II. It includes items such as the official government report of the Manzanar Relocation Center, oral histories,
a photo album, post-war activism materials focused on preserving and remembering the camps, and various clippings and documents.
Georgia Day Robertson, vice-principal at a high school in the Poston Relocation Center, collected and donated most of these
materials. Additional contributions came from Miss Seiko Ishida, a school teacher who interned at the Manzanar Relocation
Center, and Betty Mitson, who organized the collection in collaboration with the CSUF Center for Oral and Public History.
Special features of the collection include "Harvest of Hate" by Georgia Day Robertson, research studies by Betty Mitson, bibliographies
of printed materials on Japanese American internment, and oral history project reports.
While the collection touches on treaties and legislation affecting Japanese Americans in America before World War II, the
bulk of the material focuses on events from 1942 to 1946 on the West Coast. There is also some content related to the resurgence
of scholarly and popular interest in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Previously known as Japanese American Relocation in California and Japanese American Internment in California, the collection
was renamed Japanese American Incarceration in California on March 26, 2024, by Lisa Mix, Director of Special Collections.
Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945
Japanese Americans--Reparations--History--20th century
World War, 1939-1945--Japanese Americans
World War, 1939-1945--Concentration Camps--California-Manzanar
Gila River War Relocation Center
Manzanar War Relocation Center
Manzanar (Calif.)--History
Poston Relocation Center (Ariz.)
Tule Lake Relocation Center