New Primary Source Set - Japanese Internment: U.S. Reacts to Attack on Pearl Harbor

The December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii resulted in over 2,000 soldiers and sailors killed and 1,000 wounded. The attack sparked the U.S. declaration of war on Japan and the official start of American involvement in World War II. Even as the loss of life caused widespread grief, the assault on American soil drove intense patriotism and spurred subsequent reactionary behavior against Japanese-Americans. Primary sources in this set explore proximate impacts on the street. Images include photographs of Japanese-Americans being moved, the signing of Executive Order No. 9066, and “evacuation sales” held by evacuees. Activities using sources from the set include one involving the Pledge of Allegiance. View more details, and download or access the lesson plan online.  Developed during the 2015 History in Motion program, a collaboration between Emerging America and the Library of Congress, the following primary source set contains materials pertaining to reaction to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.