Does Citizenship Matter? The Case of the Aleut Relocation During the Second World War in Alaska

Abstract

In this article I argue that despite the rhetoric and activism of Aleuts, and others, the limits of citizenship during and after the relocation led to an utter failure to properly protect them. However, they were exposed to Alaska Native political action during their time away from the Islands which would give them ammunition to seek better treatment and ultimately redress and an apology from the American government. The article first explains why the relocation occurred, followed by an explanation of the Russian impacts on the Aleut and the eventual path to American citizenship, an analysis of the Aleut reactions to the conditions they encountered, and finally how Aleuts protested their plight with the sounding board of citizenship. An important component of the article are the words of Aleuts themselves which serve as a corrective history to government accounts.