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Mass removal ("evacuation")

On March 2, 1942, Public Proclamation No. 1 began to appear on telephone poles and buildings. This was the first official notice Japanese Americans had of their immediate removal from the West Coast. The notices stated that they had six or seven days to prepare, and were to take only what they could carry. They were not told where they would be taken. People rushed to sell or store, in one week, property and belongings acquired over a lifetime. Some families tucked their valuables away in their attic or basement and locked the door, hoping to return soon. On the appointed "evacuation" day, thousands of Japanese Americans gathered at designated locations, with the numbered identification tags they had been issued tied to their coats. Watched by curious onlookers, they were met by armed soldiers and transported in buses, private cars, and trains to sixteen temporary "assembly centers" in California, Washington, Oregon and Arizona.

World War II (240)
Mass removal ("evacuation") (692)

Related articles from the Densho Encyclopedia :
Final Report, Japanese Evacuation from the West Coast, 1942 (book)

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692 items
Interview with Ryo Tsai (ddr-densho-446-415)
doc Interview with Ryo Tsai (ddr-densho-446-415)
Written by Ryo Tsai's grandson David Lee for his high school heritage project
Advance Congregational Christian Journal: As American as Hot Dogs and Coca-Cola (ddr-densho-446-393)
doc Advance Congregational Christian Journal: As American as Hot Dogs and Coca-Cola (ddr-densho-446-393)
Article by Ryo (Morikawa) Tsai on what it means to be a "minority" American and influence of faith
Seattle Times: Exhibits celebrate immigrants' strengths, talents in new country (ddr-densho-446-452)
doc Seattle Times: Exhibits celebrate immigrants' strengths, talents in new country (ddr-densho-446-452)
Article titled "Japanese-American women" noted that the 11 NW women added to the exhibit at the Burke were chosen by a committee of their peers.
Short story:
doc Short story: "The outcast" / "The alien within" (ddr-densho-468-68)
Four typed drafts. First draft describes a Japanese American girl in the mid-20th century. Second, third, and fourth drafts describe incarceration. The story's name changes from "The outcast" to "The alien within" between drafts 2 and 3. Final draft has perspective shift from third-person narrator to first-person.
Biographical poem (ddr-densho-468-155)
doc Biographical poem (ddr-densho-468-155)
Typed draft of poem based on Ishikawa's childhood and experiences in World War II
Book of 70th Anniversary of Japanese Congregational Church (ddr-densho-446-455)
doc Book of 70th Anniversary of Japanese Congregational Church (ddr-densho-446-455)
The Japanese Congregational Church's 70th Anniversary coincided with the 100th Anniversary of the Japanese Christian Mission in North America. This book traces the history of JCC within the larger setting of national and local events, and some of the photos and narratives may be of interest. Ai Chih Tsai was pastor at JCC from 1948 to …
History of the Japanese Congregational Church 1907-2007 (ddr-densho-446-454)
doc History of the Japanese Congregational Church 1907-2007 (ddr-densho-446-454)
Summary of the Japanese Congregational Church's history from 1807 to 2007 written by Bisim Lee for its 100th Anniversary Dinner (October 2007)
A.D. 1977: Japanese Christians in America: The Church That Survives Hate (ddr-densho-446-394)
doc A.D. 1977: Japanese Christians in America: The Church That Survives Hate (ddr-densho-446-394)
Article in the July/August 1977 issue of A.D. 1977 on the experience of Japanese Christians in America through the end of WWII.
Nisei Vue Vol. 1 No. 2 (Summer, 1948) (ddr-densho-266-2)
doc Nisei Vue Vol. 1 No. 2 (Summer, 1948) (ddr-densho-266-2)
Selected article titles: "Fukui Earthquake" (p. 5), "Canada Story" (p. 9), "Kawakita Case" (p. 13), United Veterans of Fresno (p. 16), Vanport Flood (p. 19), Good News from Washington (p. 21), The Unified Nisei Vote (p. 22), The Jacl Queen Contest (p. 23), Lilli Ann Oka (p. 28), Nisei Heroes Buried at Oka (p. 30), Care …
Questions and answers for Evacuees (ddr-densho-410-53)
doc Questions and answers for Evacuees (ddr-densho-410-53)
Booklet issued by WRA for Evacuees in preparation for relocation to camps. Front, inside pages, outside pages
Evacuation Summary (ddr-densho-410-30)
doc Evacuation Summary (ddr-densho-410-30)
Total Persons Evacuated to Each Assembly and Evacuation Center
Instruction on Evacuation of Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-410-6)
doc Instruction on Evacuation of Tanforan Assembly Center (ddr-densho-410-6)
For Tomoye and Helen Takahashi and Masako Martha Nozawa to relocate to Central Utah WRA camp (Topaz). Back has instructions of behavior during the transfer in English and Japanese.
Photo and text titled:  No Time for World War II Wedding Bells (ddr-ajah-6-962)
img Photo and text titled: No Time for World War II Wedding Bells (ddr-ajah-6-962)
Includes story of Anna Matsuyama and John Seiji Towata marriage and Towata's work with the JACL at the time of evacuation
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