The Rise and Fall of America's Concentration Camp Law: Civil Liberties Debates from the Internment to McCarthyism and the Radical 1960s

The Emergency Detention Act of 1950 was the only law in American history to legalize preventive detention, restricting the freedom of individuals based on actions that threatened national security. Masumi Izumi's study examines the discourses of race, national security, and civil liberties between 1941 and 1971, showing how this historical precedent generated "the concentration camp law" and expanded surveillance in McCarthyist America. It also highlights the role of Japanese Americans in forming grassroots social movements to repeal the Act.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 270 pages
Publication date: 14 October 2022
Publisher: Temple University Press,U.S.

The Emergency Detention Act,Title II of the Internal Security Act of 1950,is a unique law in American history that authorized the preventive detention of individuals or groups deemed to pose a threat to the security of a nation or a specific area. However, this act was never implemented before it was repealed in 1971. In her insightful study, "The Rise and Fall of Americas Concentration Camp Law," Masumi Izumi explores the connection between the Emergency Detention Act and the Japanese American wartime incarceration. Izumi meticulously examines the complex interplay of race, national security, and civil liberties between 1941 and 1971, shedding light on how this historical precedent gave rise to "the concentration camp law" and expanded a pervasive surveillance regime in McCarthyist America. Furthermore, she demonstrates how political radicalism emerged as a response to these laws, with Japanese Americans playing a significant role in forming grassroots social movements that worked towards repealing Title II. "The Rise and Fall of Americas Concentration Camp Law" is a timely and essential study in our current era of insecurity, where issues of immigration, race, and exclusion continue to be significant concerns. It serves as a reminder of the importance of examining historical precedents and their impact on contemporary society.

Dimension: 229 x 152 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781439917251