ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
The resources below have been compiled for use in conjunction with The Orange Story. The material has been organized by chapter and includes links to relevant curricula, other resources, and discussion questions. These resources are intended primarily for general audiences and a wide range of grade levels, unless specified otherwise.
Historical Context of the Japanese American Incarceration
History of Anti-Asian Exclusion:
- "Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion" (Grades 6-12) - This extensive curriculum, developed by the New-York Historical Society, focuses on the history of Chinese exclusion in the United States.
- "White Supremacy and the Alien Land Laws of Washington State" - This essay from the University of Washington's Seattle Civil Rights & Labor History Project covers the history of alien land laws in Washington State, including the role(s) played by the JACL in helping repeal them.
- "Japanese American Internment" by Asia Society's Center for Global Education - This resource hosts several exercises that pertain to the time period leading up to the incarceration.
History of Anti-Asian Exclusion:
- Densho's "Dig Deep: Media and the Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II" (Grades 9-12, version also available for grades 6-8) - This three-week lesson plan explores the impact of the media leading up to and during the Japanese American incarceration.
- Densho's "Zoom In Activity" and Primary Source Exercise - This downloadable activity is a short PowerPoint presentation produced by Densho that prepares students for examining primary source documents (including an analysis activity of the Dr. Seuss illustration seen in Chapter 1). Instructions for this activity can be found here.
- Media Literacy and Japanese American World War II Incarceration - This resource, by Densho and the Seattle Times, is a short, interactive flipbook that discusses how media coverage influenced popular perceptions of Japanese Americans at the time. An accompanying, in-depth teacher's guide for this resource can be found here.
- Dorothea Lange - This Densho Encyclopedia article profiles photographer Dorothea Lange, who documented Japanese Americans as they prepared to leave for the incarceration camps. It can be used to explore issues such as a photographer's intent when creating specific images.
Chapter 1 Discussion Question 1
Why do you think Japanese and other Asian groups became targets of prejudice on the west coast of the United States? How were the experiences of Japanese Americans in 1942 related to the earlier experiences of Chinese Americans?
Chapter 1 Discussion Question 2
What types of discriminatory laws did Japanese Americans and other Asian American groups have to face in the United States leading up to 1942? Why were these laws enacted? How did they impact Asian American families?
Chapter 1 Discussion Question 3
How did the bombing of Pearl Harbor in December 1941 influence the events experienced by Japanese Americans in early 1942? After learning of Japanese American experiences in this time period, how should nations and individuals respond to traumatic/tragic events like Pearl Harbor?
Chapter 1 Discussion Question 4
How was media (newspapers, photographs, etc.) used to represent Japanese Americans and Asian Americans? Do you see any particular similarities or differences in the sources highlighted in Chapter 1 of the website?
Chapter 1 Discussion Question 5
What is propaganda? Do any of the sources highlighted on the website strike you as propaganda and if so, why? What problems are created by propaganda?