During World War II, Japanese Americans on America's west coast were treated very poorly. They were subject to widespread paranoia and racism, with many facing violence, harassment, and discrimination. In one of the most egregious violations of civil rights in American history, over 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were US citizens, were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in internment camps by the US government. This act of mass incarceration was carried out based on unfounded fears of espionage and sabotage, and it had a devastating impact on the Japanese American community. Despite this injustice, many Japanese Americans still bravely served in the US military during the war, and they were praised for their loyalty and bravery in the face of adversity.
