by Japanese Internment, Los Angeles
Rare original framed broadside issued by the U.S. Army’s Western Defense Command on April 24, 1942, ordering the forced removal of all Japanese Americans from a section of Los Angeles. This Civilian Exclusion Order No. 21, issued under the authority of Lieutenant General J. L. DeWitt, marked an early and critical phase of Executive Order 9066, which authorized the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II. The notice explicitly targets “all persons of Japanese ancestry, both alien and non-alien,” mandating that they report for relocation to a designated Civil Control Station at 3500 South Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles between April 25 and April 26, 1942. Failure to comply subjected individuals to “criminal penalties provided by Public Law No. 503” and potential “immediate apprehension and internment.”
The text of the broadside details the geographic area affected by the order, outlining a section of Los Angeles bounded on the north by Jefferson Boulevard, on the east by Vermont Avenue, on the south by Vernon Avenue, and on the west by Arlington Avenue. This district of South Los Angeles, adjacent to the University of Southern California, was diverse and home to a significant Japanese American population, many of whom operated small farms, businesses, or worked as domestic laborers and gardeners in surrounding neighborhoods. The order mandates that a “responsible member of each family, and each individual living alone” must report to authorities for instructions facilitating their forced removal. There is an itemized packing list printed in the order, including bedding, toiletries, and limited personal effects. This exclusion notice reflects the broader mass removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, under the false pretense of national security.
The language of the document remains one of the starkest artifacts of institutionalized racism in American history. These broadsides were posted in public areas across the West Coast, serving as official notification of impending internment. Today, such documents serve as powerful reminders of wartime hysteria, racial prejudice, and the fragility of civil liberties. Exhibiting light damage including folds, creases, pinholes and several small tears at edges. No loss to paper. Overall good condition. A rare and historically significant primary source from one of the darkest chapters in American civil rights history. (Inventory #: 22271)
The text of the broadside details the geographic area affected by the order, outlining a section of Los Angeles bounded on the north by Jefferson Boulevard, on the east by Vermont Avenue, on the south by Vernon Avenue, and on the west by Arlington Avenue. This district of South Los Angeles, adjacent to the University of Southern California, was diverse and home to a significant Japanese American population, many of whom operated small farms, businesses, or worked as domestic laborers and gardeners in surrounding neighborhoods. The order mandates that a “responsible member of each family, and each individual living alone” must report to authorities for instructions facilitating their forced removal. There is an itemized packing list printed in the order, including bedding, toiletries, and limited personal effects. This exclusion notice reflects the broader mass removal and incarceration of over 120,000 Japanese Americans, two-thirds of whom were U.S. citizens, under the false pretense of national security.
The language of the document remains one of the starkest artifacts of institutionalized racism in American history. These broadsides were posted in public areas across the West Coast, serving as official notification of impending internment. Today, such documents serve as powerful reminders of wartime hysteria, racial prejudice, and the fragility of civil liberties. Exhibiting light damage including folds, creases, pinholes and several small tears at edges. No loss to paper. Overall good condition. A rare and historically significant primary source from one of the darkest chapters in American civil rights history. (Inventory #: 22271)
(818) 224-4555
