Title: 
Headings: 

Content: The Alien Land Law,
          Oriental Exclusion Act, anti-naturalization laws, and miscegenation
          laws, among other laws and statutes, were rescinded to allow Asian
          Americans the equality they had long fought for. President Truman said to the soldiers, in his speech to the 442nd
          battalion, “You
          fought not only the enemy, you fought prejudice – and you won.” I
          agree that like the 54th regiment of the Civil War, in which Black
          Americans fought for a country that had formerly enslaved them, the
          men of the 442nd battalion showed so much courage in fighting adversity
          and decades of discrimination with hope and determination to carry
          out an important duty for America. These Japanese Americans emerged
          from the shadows of the internment camps and the sufferings of their
          parents to uphold the honor of their culture and people. In fighting
          for a country that had thwarted their efforts to thrive in so many
          ways, their pride and valor reflected the spirit of their families
          who immigrated to America and strove to survive despite the hardest
          conditions. These soldiers paved the way for great change in the perception
          and status of Japanese Americans, as well as all Asian Americans, in
          the country that we are now proud to call home. Works Consulted: Tanaka, Chester. Go For Broke: A Pictorial History of the Japanese
          American 100th Infantry Battalion and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team.