manzanar
On the west side of US 395 four miles south of Independence ten miles north of Lone Pine. (http://www.nps.gov/manz)
Manzanar was the site of an Internment Camp for people of Japanese ancestry during World War II.
In time of war, it is normal and accepted practice to imprison or confine citizens of an enemy country who reside in the opposing country. The Japanese Internment of World War II went far beyond these reasonable bounds. During World War II, all people of Japanese descent living on the west coast of the continental United States including American citizens were stripped of property and most belongings and sent into imprisonment at remote locations in the West.
To properly understand why this improper internment happened, one first needs to understand some background: California had a significant history of racism against Asian peoples including preventing Asians from participating in the gold rush, blaming Asians for economic bad times and getting Japan to voluntarily reduce emigration to California, and forbidding Asians from owning land.
The Manzanar Relocation Camp is the best preserved example from this deplorable episode in American History, and is slowly being turned into a National Historic Site.
In some Asian cultures, there is a severe injunction against being a troublemaker or being out of step with good behavior. For such Asians, to be interned or jailed is a mortifying embarrassment. If you should happen to meet someone who may have been interned, keep in mind that this embarrassment may or may not! apply.
