A Lesson in American History…

The Japanese American Experience is the Japanese American Citizens League’s (JACL) acclaimed curriculum guide containing a summary of the history of Japanese Americans, a chronology of important dates, a resource listing of books, videos, and websites, learning activities for the classroom, and an appendix with photos and copies of primary documents from the incarceration era. Click through below to explore the different modules and learn more.

Learning Modules

Historical Overview

Learn about the history of the Japanese American Community from the early years of immigration through the mass incarceration of WWII and beyond.

Lessons Plans

A variety of lesson plans for teachers from elementary to college level featuring multimedia, art, books, and poetry.

Important Dates

A timeline of important dates for the Japanese American community from the earliest days of our country through today.

Resources

A list of resources including books, movies, documentaries, and other curriculum guides for teachers and students.

Nikkei Perspectives

Perspectives of different WWII incarceration experiences including other Nikkei (people of Japanese ancestry) communities and tales of Resistance.

Civil Liberties in Times of Crisis

How the Japanese American experience relates to issues and events that affect other communities of color and is only part of a larger issue.

The Power of Words

The Power of Words is an educational campaign to understand language euphemisms used to describe the Japanese American World War II experience and the preferred terminology that more accurately describes the dire realities of the experience. Is evacuation, incarceration, imprisonment, or concentration camp the most accurate term? Download the free PDF below.

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