Would You Pass the Loyalty Test?

During World War Two, the U.S. government scored every Japanese American adult in an internment camp on a secret loyalty rubric — religion, language, relatives overseas —known as the Loyalty Test. This investigation puts students inside the whole system: the anti-Japanese sentiment that made internment possible, the real questionnaire and its hidden bias, two realistic mock profiles to score,  and a cross-group comparison showing how differently Japanese, German, and Italian Americans were treated during the same war. The conversation it starts is one your students won't forget. 

Thought-provoking, discussion-ready, and unlike anything else out there!

What's Included:
Activity 1 — Students predict what a loyalty test should ask — then confront what it actually asked. Eight real questions from the 1943 WRA questionnaire and analysis questions. 

Activity 2 — Score the Profiles Two realistic mock profiles — a Nisei born in California and an Issei who has lived in the U.S. for 33 years. Students score each one using their own judgment, then discover the government's criteria.

Activity 3 — Students examine the questionnaire's most impossible demands, learn the difference between Issei and Nisei legal status, and grapple with what it meant to answer yes — or no.

Activity 4 — Japanese vs. German and Italian Americans. A data-driven comparison of how three enemy-nation groups were treated during the same war. Students sort the evidence and draw their own conclusions about the role race played in internment policy.
 
Student activity sheets (4 activities)
Teacher guide with full answer keys
No prep required

Duration: 2 Days 
Grades 9–12 
DOK Level 3
Format: Word