On this day August 10 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, a landmark piece of legislation that formally acknowledged and apologized for the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The act granted $20,000 in reparations to each surviving individual who had been forcibly relocated and incarcerated by the United States government.
This moment marked a significant shift in acknowledging historical injustices and restoring a measure of dignity to those who had endured the hardship of wartime relocation centers. More than 100,000 Japanese Americans, most of them U.S. citizens, had been uprooted from their homes and placed in internment camps following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The bill was the result of years of advocacy by Japanese American organizations and civil rights leaders who fought tirelessly for recognition, accountability, and restitution. The act also established a public education fund to prevent future violations of civil liberties.
80s insight: The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 stood out in a decade often focused on forward progress, reminding the country that confronting past wrongs is essential to national healing.
This moment marked a significant shift in acknowledging historical injustices and restoring a measure of dignity to those who had endured the hardship of wartime relocation centers. More than 100,000 Japanese Americans, most of them U.S. citizens, had been uprooted from their homes and placed in internment camps following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The bill was the result of years of advocacy by Japanese American organizations and civil rights leaders who fought tirelessly for recognition, accountability, and restitution. The act also established a public education fund to prevent future violations of civil liberties.
80s insight: The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 stood out in a decade often focused on forward progress, reminding the country that confronting past wrongs is essential to national healing.
