Between the years 1942-1945, the lives of many Japanese Americans changed. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese army made the United States concerned about national security. The United States was also warned of Japanese people living in America, even if they were legal citizens. This fear of Japanese immigrants set in motion the document that would forever leave an impact on unsuspecting Asian foreigners. Japanese were often taken from their homes, mistreated, and eventually released after years of captivity, but the effects of the tragedy were too great to ignore. The order that would bring about change in the lives of Japanese Americans was issued on February 19, 1942. It was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and was called Executive Order 9066. This document led to "the assembly, evacuation, and relocation of nearly 122,000 Japanese men, women and children on the territory." the West Coast of the United States” (jarda.com). The order simply stated that the military commander can force people to move or exclude them if he deems it necessary. Japanese Americans were, in fact, citizens of the United States, but that didn't stop U.S. military forces from taking them away. from their homes. The United States took them away from everything they had ever known and forced them into relocation camps. The moving process was long and difficult. This put a lot of stress and worry on the Japanese, who were only allowed to carry what they could carry, which obviously wasn't much. The Japanese were forced to get rid of all businesses and homes they owned before being relocated. These camps that the Japanese were forced to live in were very similar to the paper government and Japanese-American citizens. It was not until 1993, however, that an official White House apology was written and signed. The main reasons for the incarceration of these Eastern citizens are said to have been the bombing of Pearl Harbor, fear for “national security,” and ultimately the result was a case of “mass hysteria” (jarda. edu). The history of the United States was forever changed by the captivity of Japanese Americans. It opened up a whole new kind of prejudice and racism for America. Although it is hardly thought about today, the disenfranchisement of these citizens can never be forgotten. The United States must always remember that it has taken away the properties, businesses, homes, finances, possessions, and even some lives of innocent civilians. The effects of this situation were and always will be too great to ignore.