On February 19, 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. This order resulted in 125,284 Japanese Americans - over 77,000 of whom were U.S. citizens - being forcibly removed from their homes and incarcerated in concentration camps for over 5 years without due process because they were labeled as "enemy threats". 

Within 10 days, Japanese Americans lost their homes, careers, businesses, farms, personal belongings, and were expelled from schools. Societal racism directly contributed to the fate of Japanese Americans before World War II, and their experiences and choices after. In 1984, the U.S. government, through President Ronald Reagan, officially apologized and gave reparations to surviving internees. 

The Wisconsin Chapter of the JACL believes there are important lessons to be learned from this historic event.

DESCRIPTION
Lesson plan for a 1-2 hour class period addressing the history and significance of the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWll.

ELIGIBILITY
Any high school teacher working in a Wisconsin school district during the 2025-2026 school year.

PRIZE
Award of $1000 will be given to the winning teacher. In addition, their content will be made available to teachers state-wide.

DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS
Submissions will be accepted July 4 - September 1, 2025. Deadline is Midnight CST on the night of September 1, 2025.

TO SUBMIT YOUR ESSAY
https://bit.ly/lessonplancontest

QUESTIONS?
Send questions to: wijaclessaycontest@gmail.com

PRINTABLE PDF
You may use the form on the right by downloading a copy here, or creating your own page with the following elements:
Date:
Teacher Name/Email Contact:
School/Grade:
Learning Objectives:
Materials Needed:
Hook/Intro:
Lesson Structure:
Closure:

SPONSORS
Japanese American Citizens League - Wisconsin Chapter
Japanese American Citizens League Legacy Fund Grant

Al Hida was a long-time, dedicated member of the JACL, serving in chapters in Wisconsin and Sacramento, California. Al was a teacher and spent many hours of his own time visiting schools to talk about the Japanese American incarceration.