Act to Penalize Persons in Violation of Executive Order 9066
3/21/1942
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On February 19, 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 authorizing military commanders to exclude civilians from military areas. Although the language of the order did not specify any ethnic group, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt of the Western Defense Command proceeded to announce curfews that included only Japanese Americans.
On March 29, 1942, under the authority of the executive order, DeWitt issued Public Proclamation No. 4, which began the controlled, involuntary evacuation and detention of West Coast residents of Japanese American ancestry on a 48-hour notice.
Just prior to the posting of DeWitt's proclamation, on March 21, 1942, Congress had passed Public Law 503, which made violation of Executive Order 9066 a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. This document is that act: Public Law 77-503, 56 STAT 173, "To provide a penalty for violation of restrictions or orders with respect to persons entering, remaining in, leaving, or committing any act in military areas or zones."
On March 29, 1942, under the authority of the executive order, DeWitt issued Public Proclamation No. 4, which began the controlled, involuntary evacuation and detention of West Coast residents of Japanese American ancestry on a 48-hour notice.
Just prior to the posting of DeWitt's proclamation, on March 21, 1942, Congress had passed Public Law 503, which made violation of Executive Order 9066 a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in prison and a $5,000 fine. This document is that act: Public Law 77-503, 56 STAT 173, "To provide a penalty for violation of restrictions or orders with respect to persons entering, remaining in, leaving, or committing any act in military areas or zones."
This primary source comes from the General Records of the United States Government.
National Archives Identifier: 5730387
Full Citation: An Act of March 21, 1942, Public Law 77-503, 56 STAT 173, to Provide a Penalty for Violation of Restrictions or Orders with Respect to Persons Entering, Remaining in, Leaving, or Committing Any Act in Military Areas or Zones; 3/21/1942 ; 77th Congress, 2nd Session; Enrolled Acts and Resolutions of Congress, 1789 - 2011; General Records of the United States Government, Record Group 11; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/enforcement-executive-order-9066, March 28, 2025]Activities that use this document
- Japanese American Incarceration During World War II
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