When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, America found itself embroiled in one of the greatest wars in history. The Japanese living in America were afraid of being spies and traitors. They moved most of the Japanese to military-controlled camps. The camps are a subject of interest because of how they began, what life was like for the Japanese, and what happened after their liberation. Early in the morning sailors and soldiers at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii were attacked by Japanese pilots. The Japanese air raid killed over two thousand US soldiers and crippled the entire US naval fleet (Cooper 3). The United States had imposed a trade embargo on Japan because it was tired of the atrocities committed in China (“Pearl”). The Japanese knew that if they attempted to conquer the Philippines and the American Islands, the American naval fleet would respond quickly. Then Japanese generals coordinated an attack on Pearl Harbor to cripple the U.S. Navy (Pearl Harbor). The next day, December 8, President Roosevelt declared war on Japan (Cooper 5). Ever since Asians began immigrating to America, Americans hated them. After Pearl Harbor, discrimination against Asians reached an all-time high. White people hated Japanese people but many times they confused people of Chinese origin as being from the enemy country due to their similar characteristics. Some Chinese were forced to wear signs reading “I am Chinese” and “I hate the Japanese as much as you!” to avoid conflicts with racist and prejudicial people. Many people believed that if someone were Japanese they would immediately side with their country of origin. People would go so far as to quit their jobs if they worked with the Japanese, and leave home... middle of paper... at the beginning of World War II it was feared that they were terrible traitors, but in reality they were mostly normal people trying to live their lives when something terrible happened. It wasn't their fault but they were imprisoned without trial. How it started, what happened in the camps and what happened after the war is all very interesting. Works Cited Bashaw, Vernon D. "Exclusion Order No. 1." Columbia vol. 22 No. 2. Summer 2008: 28-34.SIRS Issues Researcher. Web.v April 10, 2014. stories." Telling Their Stories.Cooper, Michael L. Fighting for Honor: Japanese Americans and World War II. New York:Clarion, 2000. Print"Japanese-American Internment." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. April 07, 2014. “Pearl Harbor.” April 10. 2014.