Whereas President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed
Executive Order 9066 on February 19, 1942, which authorized the exclusion of
120,000 Japanese Americans and legal resident aliens from the west coast of the
United States and the internment of United States citizens and legal permanent
residents of Japanese ancestry in internment camps during World War II;
Whereas the freedom of Italian Americans and German
Americans was also restricted during World War II by measures that branded them
enemy aliens and included required identification cards, travel restrictions,
seizure of personal property, and internment;
Whereas President Gerald Ford formally rescinded Executive
Order 9066 on February 19, 1976, in his speech, An American
Promise
;
Whereas Congress adopted legislation which was signed by
President Jimmy Carter on July 31, 1980, establishing the Commission on Wartime
Relocation and Internment of Civilians to investigate the claim that the
incarceration of Japanese Americans and legal resident aliens during World War
II was justified by military necessity;
Whereas the Commission held 20 days of hearings and heard
from over 750 witnesses on this matter and published its findings in a report
entitled Personal Justice Denied
;
Whereas the conclusion of the commission was that the
promulgation of Executive Order 9066 was not justified by military necessity,
and that the decision to issue the order was shaped by race prejudice,
war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership
;
Whereas Congress enacted the Civil Liberties Act of 1988,
in which it apologized on behalf of the Nation for fundamental
violations of the basic civil liberties and constitutional rights of these
individuals of Japanese ancestry
;
Whereas President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties
Act of 1988 into law on August 10, 1988, proclaiming that day to be a
great day for America
;
Whereas the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 established the
Civil Liberties Public Education Fund, the purpose of which is to
sponsor research and public educational activities and to publish and
distribute the hearings, findings, and recommendations of the Commission on
Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians so that the events surrounding
the exclusion, forced removal, and internment of civilians and permanent
resident aliens of Japanese ancestry will be remembered, and so that the causes
and circumstances of this and similar events may be illuminated and
understood
;
Whereas Congress adopted the Wartime Violation of Italian
Americans Civil Liberties Act, which was signed by President Bill Clinton on
November 7, 2000, and which resulted in a report containing detailed
information on the types of violations that occurred, as well as lists of
individuals of Italian ancestry that were arrested, detained, and
interned;
Whereas the Japanese American community recognizes a
National Day of Remembrance on February 19th of each year to educate the public
about the lessons learned from the internment to ensure that it never happens
again;
Whereas H.R. 1492 (Public Law 109–441) was passed by
Congress and signed into law in 2006, to allow the Government to identify and
acquire sites used to confine Japanese Americans during World War II, in order
to preserve and maintain these historic locations for posterity and inspire new
generations of Americans to work for justice while demonstrating the Nation’s
commitment to equal and fair treatment for all; and
Whereas the Day of Remembrance provides an opportunity for
all people to reflect on the importance of political leadership and vigilance
and on the values of justice and civil rights during times of uncertainty and
emergency: Now, therefore, be it:
That the House of
Representatives—
(1)recognizes the
historical significance of February 19, 1942, the date Executive Order 9066 was
signed by President Roosevelt, restricting the freedom of Japanese Americans,
German Americans, and Italian Americans, and legal resident aliens through
required identification cards, travel restrictions, seizure of personal
property, and internment; and
(2)supports the goals
of the Japanese American, German American, and Italian American communities in
recognizing a National Day of Remembrance to increase public awareness of these
events.