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Migration

A movement of people, either voluntary or involuntary, from one locality to another.

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Security

Feeling free of danger, anxiety, doubt, fear, or oppression.

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Citizenship

The condition or status of being a citizen with rights, privileges, and duties.

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Loyalty

A strong feeling of support, allegiance, and devotion, leading to a sense of duty.

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Dissent

Disagreement with or rejection of the opinions, actions, and goals of an established authority, sometimes leading to protest and even resistance by individuals or groups.

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Identity

The unique characteristics by which a person or group is recognized, shaped by how an individual sees himself/herself and is perceived by others.

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Community & Culture

The beliefs, values, customs, social practices, arts, and other shared aspects of a particular society, group, place, or time.

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Dignity

The respect that other people have for you or that you have for yourself.

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Justice & Democracy

Fairness in protection of rights and punishment of wrongs, and belief in the idea that all people are politically and socially equal.

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Exploring America’s Concentration Camps is organized around nine themes and you are encouraged to learn about them in the order in which they are presented. Each thematic section features artifacts from the permanent collection of the Japanese American National Museum (JANM). These artifacts are accompanied by questions and information intended to lead you to new insights and understanding about the incarceration of 120,000 individuals of Japanese ancestry in the United States during World War II. Equally important, we hope to help you make connections between this tragic chapter in American history and the dialogue and events taking place today.

Following Japan’s attack on the Pearl Harbor naval base in the American territory of Hawai‘i on December 7, 1941, the US government removed more than 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry from their homes and communities on the West Coast and beyond, confining them in American-style concentration camps. Read more >