Approximately how many Japanese Americans were incarcerated in internment camps during WWII?

• A. 60,000
• B. 90,000
• C. 100,000
• D. 120,000

Answer: (D)

Understanding the scale of the internment highlights how wartime fear translated into a major civil-liberties violation. About 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry were forcibly removed from their homes and held in camps scattered across western states and isolated areas. Roughly two-thirds of those interned were U.S. citizens born in this country, showing that citizenship did not shield families from relocation. The policy stemmed from Executive Order 9066 in 1942, which authorized military authorities to exclude and relocate anyone they deemed a threat. Among the given options, the number closest to the historical total is about 120,000, which is larger than the other figures and matches the established count of those affected.