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Archives in Context: Teachable Topics from the CSU Japanese American Digitization Project

Courts: Activity 1

Use the reading assignment, timeline, and guiding questions below to discuss any or all of the Japanese American court cases in the classroom. Succinct information about each case can also be found in the Densho Encyclopedia when you search on each of the defendants’ names. You might consider an overview of all to see how the various cases played off of each other. Or, delve into one case in more detail and hold a mock trial with half the students taking the government’s prosecutorial stance and the other half the Japanese American defense perspective (for more guidance, see: https://www.uscourts.gov/educational-resources/educational-activities/courtroom-simulation-talking-points-korematsu-v-us).

Guiding Questions

With the Japanese American court cases, discuss why Yasui, Korematsu, and Hirabayashi decided to break the law and the consequences of their actions?
What legal action did Mitsuye Endo try and why? Discuss how a writ of habeas corpus works, her successful case, and why the timing mattered.
How did the judicial branch of the U.S. government both fail and later support these defendants?

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Mitsuye Endo