"...Racial discrimination in any form and in any degree has no justifiable part whatever in our democratic way of life. It is unattractive in any setting but it is utterly revolting among a free people who have embraced the principles set forth in the Constitution of the United States."
-Justice Frank Murphy, Korematsu v. United States
-Justice Frank Murphy, Korematsu v. United States
Should the United States of America, which promotes democracy, deny constitutional freedoms to certain members of its society, when circumstances and public opinion turn against them? On December 7, 1941, the Empire of Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. This action brought the United States into World War II, and was used to justify the internment of 127,000 Japanese Americans and strip them of countless other rights. During wartime conditions, the government may decide not to uphold selected constitutional rights to some citizens in the interest of public security. Unfortunately, allowing the government to deny the rights of any citizen places the democratic freedoms of all Americans in jeopardy.
THESIS
The United States government should be responsible for protecting the constitutional rights of all citizens. The Japanese internment in the 1940s exemplifies how our government was not accountable to its citizens' constitutional rights regardless of race or circumstances.