Day of Remembrance & EO 9066

Courtesy National Archives

On 19 February 1942, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 (EO9066), giving the War Department the power to declare any part of the country a restricted military zone and the power to exclude “any or all persons” from such an area. Although the order did not mention a specific population, most assumed it referred to Japanese Americans. In the last weeks of March, “Civilian Exclusion Orders,” like the one picture above, were posted for all those of Japanese ancestry within the states along the West Coast: Washington, Oregon, California and southern Arizona.

February 19th is the Day of Remembrance for this sad chapter in American history. The National WWII Museum will host a new special exhibit From Barbed Wire to Battlefields: Japanese American Experiences in WWII opening 15 March 2014.

Post by Curator Kimberly Guise.