Ansel Adams Manzanar

1
Ansel Adams Manzanar

• A photoessay documenting a Japanese-American
  Internment camp during WWII

Legal note Mr. Adams placed no restrictions on
the use of his Manzanar photos.
2
Tom Kobayashi, who was arrested for curfew
violation in Washington State and took his case
to the Supreme Court. Unfortunately, the Supreme
Court upheld his conviction. In 1998, however,
he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
for standing up for his rights and the rights of
all Japanese Americans.
3
Private Margaret Fukuoka, Womens Army Corps In
a strange twist of fate, Nisei were held in
camps, but allowed to serve their country in the
armed forces.
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At some camps, reading material was hard to find.
Also, children often disregarded their parents,
whose authority was worn down by having
government people telling everyone what to do
all the time.
5
The quality of schooling depended on the camp.
At some, students had nearly the same kind they
would have had at home. But for others, school
was a haphazard affair, ill attended by both
students and teachers with few materials
available to both.
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Once settled in, the government allowed the camps
to be administered by the Internees. Many
worked to help provide food and services to their
camps. Still, Soldiers were always present and,
in the first year, the internees were not
allowed To leave for any reason.
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Whenever possible, internees could practice the
same trades they would have if they had been
free. This practice helped camp life run more
smoothly and provided much needed services to
all the internees. The internees were not paid
nearly what they would have been outside the
camp.
8
Although Buddhist priests were taken prisoner
before the mass internment, people in the camps
were allowed to worship as they pleased. Some of
those taken prisoner were allowed to join their
families at internment camps later on.
9
Internees attend services at a Catholic church on
Manzanar.
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As much as possible, internees were encouraged to
make life normal. Here, Internees are singing
in a choir.
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If you woke up one winter morning in Manzanar,
here is what you might see. You would probably
be living with your family in one of the
buildings shown here.
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As seen in this photo, sporting events drew big
crowds at Manzanar.
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Girls play volleyball at Manzanar. Notice their
curly hair. Most had to have permanents in order
to look more American and less
Japanese. Besides, very long, straight hair was
NOT the style in the 1940s.
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Sewing was a popular activity at Manzanar.
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The internees ran their own stores in the camps.
Here, a mother is buying toys for her children.
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A mother and her two daughters pose outside of a
camp barrack. Usually, the barracks were
divided so that each family had its own room or
set of rooms. The family areas were crowded and
families often had to separate to make
space. Older boys went to the bachelor barracks,
for example.