The Carbon County Historical Society welcomed all to their first meeting of 2023, which had a great turnout with nearly every seat filled. This month, they welcomed Elizabeth Blackburn, a senior at Carbon High School (CHS).
Blackburn, who is the daughter of Tammy and Travis Blackburn, created a documentary about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. This documentary was a History Fair project that qualified for nationals and earned Blackburn the title of state champion.
Blackburn presented her documentary to the society members, which began with the history of the Pearl Harbor bombing in Dec. of 1941. There were 240 Americans, civilians and soldiers that died. Prior to the attack, relations had been deteriorating and the United States was in a state of fear and paranoia. All people of Japanese decent were detained thereafter.
In the documentary, Blackburn stated that the acts were unconstitutional and a failure on the U.S. Government. There was no diplomacy involved and no right to a public trial. Proclamation 2525 targeted any Japanese immigrant in the U.S., allowing them to be arrested.
Even those that were a part of the bias and the detainment had their misgivings on the severity of the procedures. The fear was that the aliens would give information to the Japanese, which terrified military leaders. It is believed by many that the constitution was tossed out of the window because of wartime hysteria.
Today, it is agreed that the internment was wrong and that amendments were violated. Blackburn stated that the incarceration was a wrong that was acknowledged, but not entirely learned from. She continued by stating that it is a debate that has a clear and right answer, but still must be argued.
Following the documentary was a question and answer segment, in which Blackburn explained that her speedy dialogue during the film was due to the requirement of the documentary being exactly ten minutes long. She also discussed where she obtained the interviews, her research and more.
In February, the Carbon County Historical Society will welcome a gentleman that will present on the Carbon Power Plant, from the very beginning to the very end.
