Historic time period: 1929–1945
Life in a WWII Japanese-American Internment Camp
During World War II, the United States was at war with Japan. By an executive order of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, all Americans of Japanese descent living in military exclusion zones on the West Coast were forced to leave their homes and move to internment camps.
Since the end of the war, the Japanese American community has loaned a large collection of objects to the National Museum of American History. These artifacts, which relate to the experiences of Americans of Japanese descent during the war, are shown in the exhibition A More Perfect Union.
Baseball Saved Us is a story about a young American boy of Japanese descent named Shorty who is forced to leave his home and move to an army prison camp for the duration of the war. You can learn more about the Japanese American experience during World War II by reading Baseball Saved Us, exploring A More Perfect Union online, and by trying out the activities below.
Read This Book
You can learn more about the internment of Japanese Americans in these books. Click on the book titles below for more information, or visit our complete bibliography.
More Recommended Books
- So Far From the Sea by Eva Bunting
- The Eternal Spring of Mr. Ito by Shelia Garrigue
- A Carp for Kimoko by Virginia Kroll
- A Fence Away from Freedom: Japanese Americans and World War II by Ellen Levine
- The Children of Topaz: The Story of a Japanese-American Internment Camp by Michael O. Tunnel and George W. Chilcoat
- The Bracelet by Toshiko Uchida
- Remembering Manzanar: Life in a Japanese Relocation Camp by Michael L. Cooper
- The Journey of Ben Uchida by Barry Denenberg
- Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
- A Boy at War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Harry Mazer
- A Boy No More by Harry Mazer
- Heroes Don't Run: A Novel of the Pacific War by Harry Mazer
- Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration During World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference by Joanne Oppenheim
- Stanley Hayami, Nisei Son by Joanne Oppenheim
- Journey Home by Yoshiko Uchida
- Journey to Topaz: A Story of the Japanese American Evacuation by Yoshiko Uchida
- A Place Where Sunflowers Grow by Amy Lee-Tai
Featured Book
Baseball Saved Us
by Ken Mochizuki
Baseball Saved Us. Text copyright 1993 by Ken Mochizuki. Illustration copyright by Dom Lee. All rights reserved. Used by permission from Lee & Low Books.
Recommended Book
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Read Baseball Saved Us
Meet Shorty, who is forced to leave his home and move to an army prison camp during World War II. Find out more about the book, its author, and its illustrator.
Download the PDF »
Activities
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Honoring Japanese Americans
Learn From Objects
What would a medal for the kids who lived in internment camps look like? Learn about the award for Japanese American soldiers and create your own.
Download the PDF » -
Connecting Food and Stories
Play and Create
Try your hand at Weenie Royale or Spam Musubi, foods that some families ate while living in an internment camp.
Download the PDF » -
Play Ball!
Take a Trip
Can math make you better at baseball? Find and explore a baseball field near you to practice hitting, pitching, and running the bases.
Download the PDF » -
Real People, Real Stories
Use Technology
Hear stories of the internment camps from people who lived there as children. Make a baseball card to retell their stories in your own words.
Download the PDF » -
Leaving Things Behind
Learn From Objects
What would you take with you if you were forced to move to an internment camp? Answer questions and draw pictures of your most precious belongings.
Download the PDF » -
Make Your Own Fish Kite
Play and Create
Follow these ten simple steps and create your own Japanese kite in the shape of a fish.
Download the PDF »
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