Skip to main content

Ugly History: Japanese American incarceration camps - Densho

1,632,849 Views

24,802 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

On December 7, 1941, 16 year-old Aki Kurose shared in the horror of millions of Americans when Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor. Unbeknownst to her, this shared experience would soon leave her family and over 120,000 Japanese Americans alienated from their country, both socially and physically. Densho explores the racism and paranoia that led to the unjust internment of Japanese Americans.

WatchThink Dig Deeper Discuss
In the immediate aftermath of the Pearl Harbor bombing, the US government retaliated against Japanese immigrants and Japanese American citizens by:

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Densho
  • Director Lizete Upīte
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Sound Designer Ģirts Bišs
  • Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Eden Girma

More from Government: Declassified