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Shulammite Lin
Professor D. Lee
History 41
15 December 2015
Final Exam: Prompt One (Written)
Historian Ronald Takaki described the period of World War II as being Watershed
Years. Though the effects of Pearl Harbors bombing very negatively distorted the American
publics understanding of the Japanese American community, Takakis coined term was not
necessarily meant to be applied negatively. Rather, the Watershed Years were a vital turning
period for many Asian American communities. These years gave the various Asian American
settlers an opportunity to prove their allegiance and loyalty to the American country, and allowed
them to participate in the service of the war, despite the ongoing public demonization of their
origins.
Prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese American communities were already
the victims of racial discrimination, segregated schooling, and oriental stereotypes (Professor
Lees Lectures.) From the Russo-Japanese War, there was already ongoing speculation of
Japanese potential. However, when the United States fell victim to the Pearl Harbor bombings in
1941, the American media and government found justification for their suspicions, with John B.
Hughes proposal of evacuation, the Munsons report, and Dewitts report, all which led to
President F. D. Roosevelts passing of Executive Order 9066 the mass removal of Americans
with Japanese Ancestry into internment camps. Though this situation was eventually claimed to
being entirely unnecessary by the Supreme Court of the United States, the Japanese Americans
were innocently victimized and treated as second-class citizens. Through the Loyalty

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Questionnaire distributed to these citizens, there was a sudden split of loyalty evident in the
results. Some Japanese Americans labeled as no no boys refused to acknowledge their total
allegiance to the country imprisoning them, while others were determined to join the war effort
as soldiers. Namely in Hawaii, the VVV Varsity Victory Volunteers was formed by Japanese
soldiers who took part in the 442nd Regiment the most decorated regiment in United States
history. Though the soldiers were highly segregated due to distrust from their fellow, but nonJapanese fighters, the service they provided did not mean little to their community. Following the
Japanese experience in the war, there was a notable change in their behavior and culture. Even
though their shops, homes, and towns (Little Tokyo and Japan Town) were highly vandalized and
damaged, and even though their fellow Americans continued to treat them with the pains of
discrimination, they chose to embrace American culture and their identities as citizens in their
fight to never be representations of the enemies again.
Other Asian American groups found benefit in the Watershed Years, as well. Also in
part due to the set anti-Japanese attitude pre-existing in the Chinese and Korean American
history, these other communities went great lengths to be identified separate from the Japanese.
A notable mode of this pursuit was with the media identifying physical differences between the
Chinese and Japanese, Friend and Foe, respectively. Also in the communities reach was
suddenly the opportunities to not only serve in American battle, but also to oppose the Japanese
who had historically invaded/annexed their home lands. Though eventually, all the APA
communities were somewhat associated with and threated lower due to the Japanese influences
and their similar racial uniforms (Asian Americans in WWII Reader), there were definitely
advantages all in all, as the Chinese were granted preference in naturalization rights due to their
service, and soon, other Asian allies did, as well.

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The Filipino citizens also experienced benefits through WWII, as they were originally,
during the 1920s-30s, working low-class paying jobs in agricultural fields. Because Filipino
women were discouraged from immigrating, Filipino GIs, formed by the First Filipino Infantry
Battalion, found opportunities to bring back War Brides after their time in Manila (War Brides
Reader) After their return, there was a reported 2,500 percentage increase in Filipino
immigrants, and the soldiers given military benefits were granted medical needs, government
housing, and eventually higher paying jobs to raise families.
In conclusion, the WWII years were a quite beneficial turn of events for the previously
static Asian American communities. Because of the need for troops, there was suddenly the
opportunity for APA citizens to prove themselves as Americans. Though they faced
discrimination, they still made the best of the unjust ideas projected onto them.