World War II Essay Example for Free

World War II Essay II (WWII), 120,000 Japanese Americans, US citizens or not, were forced out of the west coast after the attack of Pearl Harbor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 which allowed local military commanders to establish exclusion zones from which any or all persons may be excluded. Americans of Japanese descent were forcibly interned in different camps in the US. The military felt that this was a necessary action to prevent any espionage and pro-Japanese actions in the west coast. Regardless of the mass evacuation, a number of Japanese Americans served in the military forces. In fact, the 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT) is the most highly decorated unit in US military history. Asian discrimination The discrimination against the Asians in the United States started even way before the incarceration of Japanese Americans in WWII. In the late 1900s, laws were passed that explicitly prohibited Japanese to become citizens of the US. They could not have a land of their own and were not allowed to marry outside their race. They could only buy homes in certain areas and were prohibited to work in certain industries. The Immigration Act of 1924 stated that aliens who were ineligible for citizenship would not be allowed to immigrate to the United States. When Japan had been establishing its colonial rule in the 20th century, news of brutality of Japan came into the US. In particular, Japans colonization of China was widely condemned by the US government. As a result, prohibitions on oil and supplies were placed on Japan. The Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937 further strengthened the anti-Japanese sentiment of the Americans especially when eyewitness reports of violence reached the country. The anti-Japanese sentiment reached its peak when the appalling attack on Pearl Harbor transpired on December 7, 1941. This impelled the United States to wage war against the Japanese Empire. This anger was further fuelled by how Japanese treated American and other western prisoners of war, the Bataan Death March, and the Kamikaze attacks on American ships. Internment Executive Order 9066 Starting 1939, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been compiling information on prominent members of the Japanese community. These data in the Custodial Detention Index (CDI) were used to classify the persons according to their possible danger to the country. A few hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, the Attorney General, given a presidential blanket authority, announced that the FBI, using the information in the CDI, would be detaining dangerous enemy aliens who may put the security of the nation in jeopardy. Some believed that Japan would launch an attack on the west coast. Many officials doubted the loyalty of the Japanese residing in this area, their judgments mostly based on racial bias. They also feared a possible tampering of water system or arson. The distrust to the ethnic Japanese was more strengthened by the fact that many of them were educated in Japan, where schools emphasized reverence for the Emperor. This planted suspicion of espionage by the Japanese Americans. On December 30, the Attorney General authorized raids even without search and warrant arrests to all houses of Japanese lineage provided that there is at least one Japanese alien. General John L. DeWitt, commanding officer of the Western Defense Command, advocated the removal of enemy aliens from zones in the west coast. He insisted that there were indications of sabotage by the Japanese Americans. Although various agencies, such as the FBI, found no evidence of such a claim, their reports were suppressed by high officials. DeWitts recommendation easily made its way to the War Department who readily approved it. When President Franklin Roosevelt was presented the order, he readily signed the order without consulting the Cabinet. His support of the internment was a great show of support to the Americans that would be rewarding in the coming election. Exclusion, removal, and detention On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 authorized the Army to designate military areas from which any person may be excluded. Although there was no explicit command to evacuate the Japanese Americans, the order was carried out only to people of Japanese ancestry. The Italians Americans and German Americans, whose countries of origin were also at war with the allies of the United States, did not experience the same fate as the Japanese Americans. On March 11, the Office of the Alien Property Custodian was given discretionary authority over alien property interests. Many of the assets were frozen, causing financial difficulty for the people affected and hindering them from moving out of the exclusion zones. On March 24, Public Proclamation No. 3 enforced a curfew from 8:00 pm to 6:00 am for all enemy aliens and people of Japanese ancestry within the military areas. A few days later, another proclamation prohibited them from leaving Military Area No. 1, which is the entire Pacific coast to about 100 miles inland, until an order allows them to leave. On May 3, Japanese Americans were ordered to live in the assembly centers until transferred to relocation centers. The unfounded mass removal of the Japanese Americans took place around 8 months. Japanese Americans lost most of their properties since they were allowed to bring only what they could carry, such as clothing and personal effects. Numbered tags were given to them as a means of their identification and their belongings. Residents of twelve Latin American countries with Japanese ancestry were also interned to US internment camps. After WWII, most of the Japanese Latin Americans were not allowed to return to their countries and instead were deported to Japan, where they suffered hardships as Japan was severely damaged by the war. Of more than a hundred thousand Japanese Americans subjected to the mass removal program of the government, two-thirds of them were US citizens by birth. Farming as a cause of anti-Japanese sentiments Much of the prejudice against the Japanese Americans was intensified due to the competence of the Japanese in the agriculture industry. Being ingenious people, they eventually had their own farms and other businesses. A number of thriving businesses owned by Japanese Americans were strong competitors in the agricultural industry. The Japanese Americans had developed sophisticated means of irrigation that allowed the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and flowers on lands that could not be used for farming previously. The first-generation Japanese Americans, the Issei, indeed prospered in the 20th century, but their fate turned when they lost their farm during the internment. This, however, pleased the white farmers as they could take over Japanese farms. Because the Japanese Americans were removed from their farms, laborers were needed to take over the lands of the Japanese. Immigrations from the Mexican border started coming to Mexico. However, thousands of Nisei, children of first-generation Japanese that were US-born, were still needed to save the farming industry so thousands of them were released from camps. But for the Japanese Americans who remained in camp, they strived to irrigate and cultivate barren lands in areas near the internment camps. Because of their hard work, they were able to build farm lands that are still productive until the present.

Why the Major Cities of Britain Were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 - 19

Why the Major Cities of Britain Were Bombed by the Germans in 1940 - 1941 Immediately after the defeat of France in the June of 1940, Adolf Hitler gave his generals the orders to organise the invasion of Britain. This plan was code-named Operation Sealion and its objective was to land 160,000 German fighters along a forty mile stretch of south-east England's coast. It was only a few weeks before a large fleet of vessels was ready for attack. Among them 2000 barges lay waiting for the go ahead in German, Belgian and French harbours. As Hitler's generals were concerned about the damage the R.A.F could inflict upon their armada the invasion was postponed until the British air force had been annihilated. On 12th August the mass bomber attacks on radar stations, aircraft factories and fighter airfields began; This attack was followed by daily raids on Britain, this became the beginning of the Battle of Britain. Although these plans were drawn up Hitler was never very keen on them, his lack of enthusiasm caused their abandonment on October the 12th 1940. Instead of invasion Hitler switched his efforts to pounding Britain into submission with gruesome sustained nightly bombing campaign. 'Blitz' the German word for lightening was applied by the British press to the raids carried out over Britain in 1940 and 1941. This concentrated direct bombing of industrial targets and civilian centres began on 7th September 1940 with heavy raids on London and other major cities. Manchester (marked ('A') London Belfast Sheffield Coventry Portsmouth Glasgow Edinburgh Canterbury Newcastle Norwich Su... ...r pipe. Censorship of photographs was very common during the blitz. Photographs were not always censored because they showed death and disasters of the worst kind, but also because they portrayed the misery and angst of civilians, and depicted the widening gap between the ways of life of the working classes in comparison. However all the censorship could not hide the damage nor repair it and it could not erase the images of burning and dismembered corpses in the minds of the people. Although the people stoically stood shoulder-to-shoulder against the onslaught, what they suffered was nothing compared to what the Germans were going to suffer. As Sir Arthur (bomber) Harris said when he had the new generation of long-range heavy bombers at his disposal "They have sown the wind, now they will reap the whirlwind".

Critical Analysis of Beowulf

Grendel Deep within the earth, in the frigid darkness laid the mighty beast Grendel. His tall, grisly frame trembled as the melodious hymns floated down to his lair. The joyful music sounded like liquid gold and it stung Grendel's ears. He howled a mournful, drawn-out growl in pain. After several days of the Earthwalkers' continuous celebration, Grendel was becoming steadily impatient, thirsting for retribution. How he longed to taste the bitter, metallic blood that coursed through their veins, and how his whole body ached to cause mayhem.The enormous demon was growing weary of hearing about how the world was created. He was tired of them drinking, and celebrating, all while he suffered within the black, bleak cave he was banished to. He would make them suffer, though. Grendel was a deft demon, and he was ready to demonstrate how powerful he truly was. Children of Cain, such as Grendel, do not often sit idly by, as those whom carouse the victories of the Gods that banished Grendel an d his familiars to the Underworld.Forever was Grendel to be punished for the death of Abel, a crime of which he did not commit. To make matters worse, his familiars were on the losing end of the war against God's creatures, thus casting them deeper within the shadows. However, that would not be the case today. It had gone on long enough. Grendel's large feral body trembled in anticipation – he would strike them tonight. He would spill their blood in the streets and show them what such a mighty creature can do. Then, as the icy blanket of night crept across the Above World, Grendel emerged from his cavern.His muscular legs propelled him quickly across the grassy fields to Herot, and as he went, Grendel wondered how the warriors would be recuperating from their celebrations. As he approached Herot, he found all of the warriors scattered throughout, all in a deep sleep. As he stepped lightly on the ground, Grendel sniffed the air. A fowl stench of brandy mixed with the bitter sc ent of their sweat intoxicated Grendel. His canine ears perked as he heard the slow, rhythmic beating of each of their hearts. He walked among their numbers, gazing upon each potential victim and sizing them up.Who would provide the best kill? Who would give him the luscious blood he so eagerly wished to taste. Finally, he came upon the perfect victim – a boy, about to become a man, his warrior's helmet was slightly askew on his sandy-colored hair. A silvery trail of drool slid from his lips and out onto the cold stone floor as he snored quietly. He had obviously never experienced battle, for his armor was made only of thin leather and had not even a fleck of dirt on it. Grendel's black lips curled upwards as he gazed down upon his unknowing victim.The power of the demon could crush his skull in a second, splattering the boy's hopes and dreams all across the stone floor. No, that would be too abrupt – and it wouldn't be the warrior's death that this boy obviously so ea gerly desired. No, Grendel would enjoy this. So with one slash of his razor-sharp talons, the boys throat was cut. Long ribbons of scarlet ran down his almost severed head and down onto the floor. The instant his neck was cut, his eyes shot wide open in horror, staring for only a moment at his murderer.The fear, now etched eternally in his face, was like that of watching your worst nightmare transpire right in front of your eyes. That moment was everything Grendel wanted from his journey into mayhem. That single moment was what captured Grendel's thirst and made it even stronger. Grendel licked the crimson beads from his claws and savored the coppery taste. He could feel it enter his body and it made him even stronger. Every one of his muscles throbbed in eagerness to slaughter more people, to taste more blood, and to incite even more fear. He moved swiftly between his victims, his footsteps barely making a whisper.After a few more throat cuttings, Grendel decided he would massacre more by crushing a few skulls. Moving up to one rather rotund warrior, he grasped the warrior's head within his long fingers, and the instant Grendel felt the warrior awaken, he squeezed with tremendous force. Within that moment, the warrior's body felt limp, his enormous weight now pulling Grendel's arm down. The demon could feel the sharp fragments of bone and helmet inside his hand, and the warm, stickiness of the blood as it ran along his fingers. Over two dozen more, he did this to, before carrying all of their bodies back to his lair.On his way back, though, he made sure that they left a long river of blood towards his cavern. Grendel greatly anticipated the awakening of the other warriors. As soon as day broke, he was not disappointed – those whom Grendel had spared began to cry and moan as they discovered the fate of their loved ones and compatriots. Their joyous songs of celebration turned to marred hymns of lament. Now that was music to Grendel's ears. In fact, the magnitude of excitement Grendel felt made it impossible for him to stay within his cavern that night.Just like he had done last night, he crept out of his lair and slaughtered even more of the warriors. As the months drew on, eventually the remaining warriors would try to combat Grendel, or run and hide. Each warrior, young or old, met the same fate as those Grendel had killed on his first night. A gruesome and gory death awaited any and all who Grendel wanted to kill. Years began to pass, and Herot became abandoned, thus making Grendel the only inhabitant. No longer were stories told of the creation of the world, but instead of Grendel's power and hatred.

About the Legislative Branch of U.S. Government

Every society needs laws and in the United States, the power to make laws is given to Congress, which represents the legislative branch of government. The Source of Laws The legislative branch is one of three branches of the U.S. government—the executive and judicial are the other two—and it is the one charged with creating the laws that hold our society together. Article I of the Constitution established Congress, the collective legislative body made up of the Senate and the House. The primary function of these two bodies is to write, debate and pass bills and to send them on to the president for his approval or veto. If the president gives his approval to a bill, it immediately becomes law. However, if the president vetoes the bill, Congress is not without recourse. With a two-thirds majority in both houses, Congress may override the presidential veto. Congress may also rewrite a bill in order to win presidential approval; vetoed legislation is sent back to the chamber where it originated for reworking. Conversely, if a president receives a bill and does nothing within 10 days while Congress is in session, the bill automatically becomes law. Investigative Duties Congress can also investigate pressing national issues and it is charged with supervising and providing a balance to  the presidential and judicial branches as well. It has the authority to declare war; in addition, it has the power to coin money and is charged with regulating interstate and foreign commerce and trade. Congress also is responsible for maintaining the military, though the president serves as its commander in chief. Founded in 1921, as the General Accounting Office, the investigative Government Accountability Office (GAO) audits all budgets and financial statements sent to Congress by the Secretary of the Treasury and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Today, the GAO audits and generates reports on every aspect of the government, ensuring that taxpayer dollars are spent effectively and efficiently. Government Oversight Another important function of the legislative branch is oversight of the executive branch. Essential to the doctrine of checks and balances envisioned by the nation’s Founders and implemented by the Constitution, congressional oversight allows an important check on the president’s power and a balance against his discretion in implementing laws and making regulations. One of the main ways Congress conducts oversight of the executive branch is through hearings. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs are both devoted to overseeing and reforming government operations, and each committee conducts oversight in its policy area. Why Two Houses of Congress? In order to balance the concerns of smaller but more populated states against those of larger but more sparsely populated ones, the framers of the Constitution formed two disparate chambers.   The House of Representatives The House of Representatives is made up of 435 elected members, divided among the 50 states in proportion to their total population according to the system of apportionment based on the latest U.S. Census. The House also has six non-voting members, or â€Å"delegates,† representing the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and four other territories of the United States. The Speaker of the House, elected by the members, presides over meetings of the House and is third in the line of presidential succession. Members of the House, referred to a U.S. Representatives, are elected for two-year terms, must be at least 25 years old, U.S. citizens for at least seven years, and residents of the state from which they are elected to represent. The Senate The Senate is made up of 100 Senators, two  from each state. Before the ratification of the 17th Amendment in 1913, the Senators were chosen by the state legislatures, rather than the people. Today, Senators are elected to by the people of each state to six-year terms. The terms of the Senators are staggered so that about one-third of the Senators must run for reelection every two years. Senators must be 30 years old, U.S. citizens for at least nine years, and residents of the state they represent. The Vice President of the United States presides over the Senate and has the right to vote on bills in the event of a tie.   Unique Duties and Powers Each house has some specific duties as well. The House can initiate laws that require people to pay taxes and can decide whether public officials should be tried if accused of a crime. Representatives are elected to two-year terms. The Senate can confirm or reject any treaties the president establishes with other nations and is also responsible for confirming presidential appointments of Cabinet members, federal judges, and foreign ambassadors. The Senate also tries any federal official accused of a crime after the House votes to impeach that official.  The House also has the power  elect the president in the case of an electoral college tie. Phaedra Trethan is a freelance writer who also works as a copy editor for the Camden Courier-Post. She formerly worked for the Philadelphia Inquirer, where she wrote about books, religion, sports, music, films, and restaurants. Updated by Robert Longley