Korematsu v. the United States (1944)

Use the background information and the primary sources in the Graded Assignment: Primary Sources sheet to answer the following questions.

1. What did Fred T. Korematsu do that resulted in his arrest and conviction?

2. According to the first paragraph from the excerpts of the majority opinion, what did the U.S. government believe some Japanese Americans would do if they were allowed to remain free on the West Coast?

3. The majority of the court believed that compulsory exclusion of large groups of citizens from their homes was okay in what situation?

4. What did the dissenting justices think about the power of military authorities?

5. The dissenting opinion raises the fact that Japanese Americans were being deprived of what rights?

6. Imagine you are living in Los Angeles in 1944 and have just read about the case of Korematsu v. the United States. Write a letter to the editor of the Los Angeles Times telling which opinion in the case (majority or dissenting) you support and explain why.