Dear President Roosevelt 2c

Japanese American National Museum, Gift of the Miyaoka Family (94.55.5)

This object is part of the story , which is about Dissent.

Dear President Roosevelt, Dissent, Minidoka

Read this letter carefully.

  • What is the name of the group that wrote this letter?
  • What are some reasons the members of this group don’t want their children to be drafted into the US military?
  • Do you notice the small typos in this letter?

This letter was written by mothers incarcerated in Minidoka Concentration Camp in Hunt, Idaho, who were still learning English. For the first draft of the letter, they asked for help from a Japanese American lawyer but ultimately felt his draft was too weak and overly emotional. They then worked together to write this letter, which they sent to President Roosevelt.