Fred Korematsu

“I was an American citizen, and I had as many rights as anyone else.”

“I didn't think that the government would go as far as to include American citizens to be interned without a hearing.”

“If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don't be afraid to speak up.”

“I still remember, 40 years ago, when I was shackled and put in prison... Being an American citizen didn't mean a thing.”

“As a citizen of the United States, I am ready, willing, and able to bear arms for this country.”

“I thought what the military was doing was unconstitutional.”

“I was born in the U.S. This is my country.”

“Before the war, my parents were very proud people. They'd always talk about Japan and also about the samurai and things like that. Right after Pearl Harbor, they were just real quiet. They kept to themselves; they were afraid to talk about what could happen. I assume they knew that nothing good would come out of it.”

“I was the third son, and the family tradition was my dad always favored the oldest child.”

“If anyone should do any pardoning. I should be the one pardoning the government for what they did to the Japanese-American people.”

“Every day in school, we said the pledge to the flag, 'with liberty and justice for all,' and I believed all that.”

“One person can make a difference, even if it takes forty years.”

“It takes a lot of money to hire an attorney.”

“I was just living my life, and that's what I wanted to do.”

“That was it - I lost my job... I was very discouraged. I wanted to be in defense work... I'm an American, and I have nothin' to do with Japan, and so it's sort of an insult to me.”

“My folks were so worried about what they were going to do. All they can take was what they could carry with their hands. What they had for twenty-five years of building their business was going to go out the door, or they're going to lose it.”

“It may take time to prove you're right, but you have to stick to it.”

“I don't even know how it is to have a home. I feel like an orphan or something.”

“During the curfew, whoever went out, the people were watching you. Any Japanese home, there was some person figuring he's a good American citizen by doing his duty, and they were watching every move each family were doin'. Or if they went out, they followed them to see where they were goin'.”

“I was very upset because I did not have a fair trial to prove my loyalty to this country.”