Dorothea Lange and the Relocation of Japanese Americans

In this activity, you will:

• analyze a photograph as a historical document
• identify ideals in the Pledge of Allegiance and connect them to American democracy
• write a structured response synthesizing three primary sources into a central argument

• Multiple Parts

Look Closely at the Photograph

Before you read any captions, labels, or context, take 2–3 minutes to simply look at the photograph. Use the questions below to guide your observation.

• Who do you see?
• What are they doing?
• Where are they looking?
• Describe the facial expressions you see.
• Where are they, and what clues tell you this?
• Where was the photographer standing when she took this shot? Why aren’t the children looking at the camera?
• Do you think they were posed? Why or why not?
• When do you think this was taken, and what clues help you figure that out?
• What other details catch your eye?

Use Context to Analyze

This photograph was made by Dorothea Lange. It shows children in a schoolyard at Raphael Weill Elementary School in San Francisco, California. Many of the students are Japanese American. They stand with their hands over their hearts, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. The date is April 20, 1942. Within weeks after the photo was taken, many of these children and their families would be forcibly removed from their homes and sent to incarceration camps by order of the US government.

Now that you know when this photo was taken and who is in it, revisit your observations with that context in mind.

• Lange chose this specific moment to photograph. What do you think she wanted viewers to notice or feel?
• What does the body language, setting, and composition of the photograph suggest about these children’s relationship to American identity?
• A photograph is never just a neutral record. What message do you think Lange was trying to send with this image?

Read and Contextualize: The Pledge of Allegiance

The Pledge of Allegiance was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy. The version used in 1942 (before the words “under God” were added in 1954) read:

The Pledge of Allegiance (1942 Version)

I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Unpack the Words

Examine what each phrase of the Pledge actually promises. This is called close reading, and it matters, because these are the words the children in Lange’s photograph were reciting.

Connect Ideals to History

• The Pledge says “liberty and justice for all.” Based on what you know about Japanese American incarceration in 1942, do you think the US government was living up to this promise? Use specific evidence or reasoning to support your answer.
• The children in Lange’s photograph are reciting these exact words. What emotions or contradictions might a Japanese American child have felt saying the Pledge in April 1942, knowing what was about to happen to their family?

Read Critically: Civilian Exclusion Order No. 41

On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which authorized the military to designate certain areas as “military zones” and to exclude any people from them. In practice, this was used almost exclusively to forcibly remove and incarcerate approximately 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry. About two-thirds of Japanese Americans incarcerated were US citizens by birth.

What followed were dozens of Civilian Exclusion Orders that required Japanese Americans to leave their homes, businesses, and communities, report to assembly points, and eventually be sent to one of ten incarceration camps across the United States. Read Civilian Exclusion Order No. 41, then write or discuss your responses to the following questions.

• The order uses the word “evacuated” to describe what is happening to Japanese Americans. What does this word normally mean? Why might the government have chosen this word instead of “removed,” “imprisoned,” or “incarcerated”? What effect does language choice have on how people understand events?
• The order applies to persons of Japanese ancestry, “both alien and non-alien.” What does this tell you about how the government was making decisions about who was considered a threat? What concerns does this raise about civil liberties and due process?
• Read “The Following Instructions Must Be Observed,” focusing on #3: “No pets of any kind will be permitted.” What does this single line reveal about what was really happening to these families? What does it tell you about how much time or consideration was being given to the people being removed?
• The children in Lange’s photograph attended Raphael Weill Elementary School, which was in the exact area covered by Exclusion Order No. 41. This photograph was taken approximately one month before this order went into effect. How does knowing this change the way you look at the photograph?

Synthesize Three Primary Sources

Now it’s time to put all three primary sources together: the photograph by Dorothea Lange; the Pledge of Allegiance; and the Civilian Exclusion Order No. 41. Using all three, write a response to the following question, analyzing the contrast between the ideals the United States claimed to stand for and the actions it took against Japanese Americans in 1942.

• Did the US government uphold the values expressed in the Pledge of Allegiance in 1942?

Your response should be 3–5 paragraphs in length, and include the following elements:

• Begin with a clear claim (thesis) that directly answers the question: Did the US government uphold the values expressed in the Pledge of Allegiance in 1942?
• Reference specific details from all three sources as evidence.
• Analyze, don’t just describe. Explain what the evidence means, not just what it shows.
• Consider the human stakes: What was the real cost to real people?

The forced relocation of Japanese Americans to camps during World War II.