Compare the following executive orders of President Franklin D. Roosevelt directing the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II and President Eisenhower’s directing the desegregation of public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Question

President Roosevelt’s Executive Order No. 9066:

“Whereas the successful prosecution of the war requires every possible protection against espionage and against sabotage to national‐defense material, national‐defense premises, and national‐defense utilities... therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy, I hereby authorize and direct the Secretary of War, and the Military Commanders... to prescribe military areas in such places and of such extent as he or the appropriate Military Commander may determine, from which any or all persons may be excluded, and with respect to which, the right of any person to enter, remain in, or leave shall be subject to whatever restrictions the Secretary of War or the appropriate Military Commander may impose in his discretion.”

President Eisenhower’s Executive Order No. 3204:

“...certain persons in the State of Arkansas, individually and in unlawful assemblages, combinations, and conspiracies, have willfully obstructed the enforcement of orders of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas with respect to matters relating to enrollment and attendance at public schools, particularly at Central High School, located in Little Rock School District, Little Rock, Arkansas... Whereas such obstruction of justice constitutes a denial of the equal protection of the laws secured by the Constitution of the United States and impedes the course of justice under those laws: Therefore, I, Dwight D. Eisenhower, President of the United States, under and by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the United States, do command all persons engaged in such obstruction of justice to cease and desist therefrom, and to disperse forthwith....”

Explain how both presidents were addressing concerns over societal changes.

(1 point)
Responses

In both cases, the presidents are working closely with Congress to address a public safety issue that is a result of societal change.
In both cases, the presidents are working closely with Congress to address a public safety issue that is a result of societal change.

In both cases, the presidents are using the powers as leader of the military to accomplish aims for public safety.
In both cases, the presidents are using the powers as leader of the military to accomplish aims for public safety.

In both cases, the presidents are confronting the dangers to public safety, either sabotage or conspiracies.
In both cases, the presidents are confronting the dangers to public safety, either sabotage or conspiracies.

In both cases, the presidents are seeking to protect the rights of all citizens of the United States

Answer 1

In both cases, the presidents are using the powers as leader of the military to accomplish aims for public safety.

President Roosevelt's Executive Order No. 9066 was issued in response to fears of espionage and sabotage during World War II, arising from the societal change brought about by the war mobilization and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This executive order authorized military commanders to create exclusion zones from which Japanese Americans were forcibly removed, leading to their internment. The rationale was the perceived need to protect national security, reflecting widespread societal fears and prejudices against Japanese Americans.

In contrast, President Eisenhower's Executive Order No. 3204 addressed a different societal change: the desegregation of public schools following the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, which deemed racial segregation unconstitutional. Eisenhower's order aimed to enforce the court's ruling in response to violent resistance and obstruction from segregationists in Little Rock, Arkansas. By deploying federal troops to ensure that African American students could safely attend Central High School, Eisenhower used his military authority to uphold civil rights and maintain public order amidst societal tensions regarding race and equality.

In summary, both presidents exercised their military powers in response to concerns about public safety; however, they each confronted different societal changes—war-related fears in Roosevelt's case, and civil rights issues in Eisenhower's.