Lee, Russell. Salinas, California. Tagged for evacuation. 1942. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017818140/.
Students will analyze the photograph “Salinas, California. Tagged for Evacuation” using a structured protocol to Observe–Infer–Question as they learn about Executive Order 9066 and Salinas’s role in Japanese American internment. They will examine an image for emotional and historical meaning, and through discussion and questioning, students will explore themes of identity, civil rights, and injustice. They will then connect the photo to broader ethical issues within their own community by writing about an essential question. As an extension, students may analyze Dwight Okita’s poem “In Response to Executive Order 9066.”
During World War II, the United States government enacted racist and exclusionary policies requiring the forced internment of thousands of Japanese Americans into detention camps. Salinas, California, was a significant staging point for this forced relocation. Local Japanese Americans were not only forced to leave their homes and businesses, but the city also served as a temporary assembly center for thousands of individuals from surrounding communities.
Source: https://www.britannica.com/event/Japanese-American-internment
- Why do you think the photographer chose to focus on this young child?
- What message might the photographer be trying to convey about the broader situation?
- How does this photograph reflect the experiences and emotions of American citizens forced into internment?
ELA Standard
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.7. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.
Social Studies Standard
HSS Standard 11.7.5. Discuss the constitutional issues and impact of events on the U.S. home front, including the internment of Japanese Americans (e.g., Fred Korematsu v. United States of California Department of Education) and the restrictions on German and Italian resident aliens; the response of the administration to Hitler’s atrocities against Jews and other groups; the roles of women in military production; and the roles and growing political demands of African Americans.
Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- Begin with a mini-lesson on Executive Order 9066 by sharing the historical context of the photo listed above or consider having pairs of students use technology to research what they can learn about the executive order.
- Project the photograph “Salinas, California. Tagged for Evacuation” and direct students to work in pairs to create a three-column note-taking chart titled “Observe-Infer-Question.”
- Break the next section of the lesson into 3–5 minute increments to keep students engaged and moving forward. Check for understanding throughout.
- Students work in pairs to list what they notice in the photo in the “Observe” column. Possible questions to ask include:
- What objects, people, or details do you see in the photograph?
- What do you notice about the smaller details within the photo?
- Next, ask students to consider inferences they can make about the context of the photo and then list those ideas in the “Infer” section of their notes. Possible questions to get started include:
- How might the tag on the child’s coat and the surrounding luggage tell you something about what is happening here?
- Based on the age of this child, what do you think the child is feeling or experiencing at this moment?
- After students have made both observations and inferences, ask pairs to create a question that they can ask classmates to probe for deeper evaluation. Sample questions include:
- What role did cities such as Salinas, CA, play in the relocation of Japanese American citizens during World War II?
- How can visual and written texts work together to humanize historical injustice?
- Students work in pairs to list what they notice in the photo in the “Observe” column. Possible questions to ask include:
- Think-Pair-Square: Finally, direct pairs of students to square up with another group and take turns asking and answering each other’s questions. Students should add their discussion to their notes.
- As an extension, pair this lesson with an analysis of the poem “In Response to Executive Order 9066” by Dwight Okita, and then ask students to write about how visual and written texts can humanize historical injustice.
Lee, Russell. Salinas, California. Japanese-American child headed for reception center. 1942. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017818144/.
Lee, Russell. Salinas, California. Japanese-Americans being evacuated from certain West coast areas under United States Army war emergency order, and waiting for transportation to the reception center. 1942. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017818138/.