The significance of Japanese internment camps during World War II in the U.S. lies in their representation of racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and civil liberties violations. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the U.S. government forcibly relocated around 120,000 Japanese Americans, most of whom were U.S. citizens, to internment camps across the country. This decision was justified by fears of espionage and sabotage, yet it was later recognized as a grave injustice rooted in racism. The internment highlighted the fragility of civil rights during wartime and sparked ongoing discussions about government accountability and the protection of individual liberties.