Memory is ones ability to encode, store, retain and subsequently recall past information and experiences. It is the sum total of what someone remembers and as a result, provides him/her with the capability to learn and adapt from previous experiences. Given this groundwork, it is apparent that memory can have a paramount and considerable effect on how events, stories, information and more importantly, history is written and passed on from generation to generation. The main issue that arises is how this memory is preserved and exchanged over time as bits and pieces may be lost, misinterpreted, hidden or even altered along the way. .
The story of the internment of Japanese-Americans in the United States during World War II is an example of a memory and piece of history that has been effectively preserved and subsequently, transferred from generation to generation. Unified under a collective drive to achieve a certain means, the Japanese-Americans were able to create a strong and shared memory whose involvement with several individual concepts of memory (commemoration of the past through memorials, collective memory and visual testimonies) helped to preserve and cement the longevity of the memory.
On December 7, 1941, America was forever changed by one of the most shocking and unforgettable events in the history of the world, the bombing of Pearl Harbor (Exploring the Japanese American Internment). On this fateful day, the Japanese conducted a surprise military strike and bombing on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. For the most part, the bombing of Pearl Harbor will go down in history as the tipping point of the tumultuous relationship between the United States and Japan and in particular, the event that triggered the United States to enter World War II. Unfortunately, one piece of the story that is sometimes overlooked and lost in the history of Pearl Harbor and World War II is the series of horrific events and atrocities that occurred in the United States after the bombing itself.