Conscience and the Constitution

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In World War II a handful of young Americans refused to be drafted from the American concentration camp at Heart Mountain Wyoming. Organized under the banner of the Fair Play Commi ttee they were ready to fight for their country but not before the government restored their rights as U.S. citizens and released their families from camp. It was the largest organized resistance to incarceration leading to the largest trial for draft resistance in U.S. history. The government prosecuted them as criminals; Japanese American leaders and veterans ostracized them as traitors. The resisters served two years in prison and for the next 50 were written out of the official history of Japanese America. Only recently have we rediscovered the resisters and restored them to the community. Through their eyes we delve into the heart of the Japanese American conscience and a public debate that is still alive today. Show more