In Response to Executive Order No.9066

In Response to Executive Order 9066

Analyzing a Written Argument

The general argument made by Dwight Okita in his work In Response to Executive Order 9066 is that even though she had a Japanese origin she was very American. More specifically Okita suggests that her best friend Denise started to hate her because of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He writes, “I gave her a packet of tomato seeds and asked her to plant them for me, told her when the first tomato ripened she’d miss me.” p.743. In this passage, Okita is suggesting that many Americans made rash judgments on all Japanese Americans just because of the bombing even though they didn’t know what to do. In conclusion, it is Okita’s belief that the Executive Order 9066 was a rash punishment that was unfairly given to Japanese Americans.

Planning Your Own Argument

In my view, Okita is wrong because Japanese Americans were sent to camps to protect them from other people’s reactions to Pearl Harbor just as much or more than to stop spies from providing information. For example, in In Response to Executive Order 9066 Denise started to be hostile towards the little girl because of the events at Pearl Harbor. Although Okita might object that Japanese Americans were placed in internment camps because of racial prejudice, I maintain that It was mostly for their protection. Therefore, I conclude that while Japanese internment camps weren’t the correct solution they we’re just because of racial prejudice.