ABSTRACT
During World War II, the US government required the relocation and internment of Japanese Americans. The issue was whether the government could hold a group of people based on their race, and not based on actual suspicion of criminal activity. Fred Korematsu was an American-born citizen of Japanese ancestry, born and raised in Oakland, CA. Unable to enlist in the military at the beginning of World War II due to poor health, Korematsu nevertheless aided in the war effort by helping to build ships. When Japanese Americans began being relocated to internment camps, Korematsu tried to pass himself off as a Mexican American so he could stay close to his girlfriend. Fred Korematsu challenged his conviction, however, based on the fact that he was never suspected of any activity hindering the war effort.
