Teaching Civic Education Through Japanese American History

March 7, 2025

Civic education isn’t just about the past — it’s about understanding how history shapes our present and future. The incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII provides a critical lens for examining civil rights, government accountability, and the resilience of democracy. But the story doesn’t end with Executive Order 9066. Legal challenges, grassroots activism, and the redress movement remind us that civic engagement can drive meaningful change.

March 10-14, 2025, marks Civic Learning Week, an annual celebration dedicated to promoting civic education and its importance in preparing people for their roles as informed and engaged participants in our self-governing society. Here are some key ways to bring this history into civic education this week and beyond:

Critically Analyze Executive Order 9066

Japanese field laborers standing in front of “evacuation” orders posted on a Wartime Civil Control Administration station in Byron, California. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Encourage students to examine the euphemistic language used by the government — like “evacuation” — to describe the forced removal of Japanese Americans. How does language shape public understanding of injustice?

Teach the Broader Context

The incarceration of Japanese Americans wasn’t an isolated event. It was rooted in racism and xenophobia that began long before WWII. Densho’s film, Other: A Brief History of American Xenophobia, and accompanying learning activities provide critical historical context.

Center Japanese American Stories

Oral histories bring civic learning to life. Densho’s YouTube playlist “Redress and Reparations” highlights firsthand accounts of the long and arduous fight for justice. These stories illuminate the resilience of Japanese Americans who challenged their incarceration through legal battles, activism, and community organizing.

Explore Parallels to Today

Three Japanese Americans at a Day of Remembrance rally holding up signs with slogans Stop Repeating History, In Solidarity with La Resistencia, Speaking Truth to Power, and Not OK in 1942 Not OK Now. — Three people holding up signs protesting immigrant detention and demanding “Stop Repeating History” at a Tsuru for Solidarity rally in February 2025.

The incarceration of Japanese Americans offers essential lessons about civil liberties under threat. Discuss contemporary issues like migrant detention and how past injustices inform present-day advocacy. Listen to stories of resistance and solidarity in our Campu podcast episode, “Fences.”

Engage with Community Events

Japanese American elders sit in the front row listening to speakers at a Day of Remembrance event. — WWII incarceration survivors listen to speakers at a Day of Remembrance event in Puyallup, Washington. Courtesy of Eugene Tagawa.

History is personal. Connect students with local events and speakers who share firsthand experiences and insights on civic engagement and activism.

>> Find upcoming events on the calendars at Densho and Discover Nikkei.

>> Get involved with community groups like Tsuru for Solidarity and Nikkei Progressives, or find a Japanese American Citizens League chapter near you.

As we reflect on this history during Civic Learning Week, we invite educators to use these lessons to empower students as informed and engaged members of our democracy. Find more of our resources at densho.org/teach.