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In reply to the discussion: FDR Democrats, check in here! [View all]bvar22
(39,909 posts)Find a reference to Racial Equality as a Basic Human Right that pre-dates FDR's,
and you might have an argument.
Since you can't, it is a valid statement to say that FDR began the journey TO the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and ESTABLISHED Racial Equality as a Democratic Party Issue directly connected to the Basic Human Rights detailed in the Economic Bill or Rights.
To attack the Japanese Internment as an act of "racism" on FDR's part,
you will have to provide supporting evidence of a long held prejudice against the Japanese People.
You might be able to accuse him of Hysterical Xenophobia,
but given the circumstances in the USA immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor, even THAT would be a stretch.
There was NO threat of a German attack on the US Mainland at that time,
but there was certainly the very real threat of an imminent attack on the West Coast by Japan,
a country that had just successfully wiped out our entire Pacific Fleet.
So your comparison to the Germans is not valid.
Please remember, FDR had no reliable radar, no satellites, and no functioning outposts.
The entire defense of the West Coast was civilians and untrained military standing on the California beaches with binoculars.
As Commander-in-Chief, faced with a brand new World War on two fronts,
and no "INTEL" other than we no longer had a Pacific Fleet,
A Congress that was SCREAMING for the Round Up of the Japanese Spies,
Hysteria and Panic in California,
(Speilberg's 1941 was an understatement),
reports of Japanese saboteurs cutting arrows in the sugar cane fields pointing the way toward vulnerable military installations,
roving bands of vigilantes attacking anyone who looked Japanese in California,
even lynching some,
...given ALL that, and a brand new World War on Two Fronts,
as Commander-in-Chief, I might have decided to Take them OFF the Board and put them someplace safe until I have the time to deal with it.
FDR didn't have to be a "racist" to make that decision.
So see if you can find some supporting evidence before making that accusation.
Can you document pre-Dec7th ethnic slurs against the Japaneses?
Can you document instances where he referred to the Japanese as an inferior people or culture?
Can you source comments before Dec 7th where he called them derogatory names?
If so, them you might be able to build a legitimate case against FDR as a "racist",
but if all you have is the Internment,
you ain't got much.
I am not saying it was right.
I am saying that that alone is not proof of racism.