Understanding the Differences: Why Americans Recognize Internment Camps but Criticize German Concentration Camps

It's often argued that Americans do not recognize the internment camps of World War II, yet this assertion is fundamentally incorrect. The internment of Japanese Americans during WWII has been extensively documented and acknowledged. As early as 1972, when I first became interested in WWII history, I learned about these camps. The internment of civilians based on their ethnicity was an abhorrent practice, but it was markedly different from the industrialized and systematic nature of the German concentration camps.

Recognizing the Internment Camps

From the start, the U.S. government recognized the internment camps. My High School history lessons in 1972 included detailed accounts of these events. In the decades that followed, numerous films, books, and scholarly articles have ensured that the memory of the internment camps lives on. This recognition includes not only the acknowledgment of the injustice but also efforts to provide reparations to the internees through legislation such as the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 and the subsequent award of reparations. Films such as Allegiance, Born Free and Equal, and Farewell to Manzanar have further illuminated the experiences of those interned.

The Contrast with German Concentration Camps

While the internment camps had their own atrocities, they cannot be equated with the German concentration camps in terms of scale, intent, and method. The living conditions in the internment camps were not as harsh as those in the concentration camps. While internees were indeed deprived of their freedom, property, and other rights, there was a clear distinction in the brutality and systematic nature of the treatment. In concentration camps, deathtorture, and mistreatment were rampant and systematic, which is fundamentally different from the experiences of those in internment camps.

Comparing the Experiences

Several films depict the experiences of American internees, showing that they were not subjected to the same conditions as those in German concentration camps. These films, such as Allegiance, Born Free and Equal, and Farewell to Manzanar, highlight the absence of widespread torture, starvation, or industrial-scale murder. American internees could even leave the camps by enlisting in the military or informing authorities that they were relocating elsewhere, which was not an option for those in concentration camps.

The Historical Legacy

The American government recognized the internment camps at the time they were established, with widespread reporting in newspapers and other media. This recognition was followed by a reevaluation of the injustice committed and the provision of reparations in the 1980s. Scholarly and historical works, such as No-No Boy, The Invisible Thread, and Under the Blood Red Sun, have further ensured that the internment camps are well-known episodes in American history.

In conclusion, while the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII was a dark chapter in U.S. history, it is important to recognize the differences between it and the systematic horrors of the concentration camps in Nazi Germany. The internment camps were marked by a lack of the industrial-scale torture and murder present in concentration camps, and they remain an important part of historical understanding in the United States.