During World War II, thousands of Japanese American families were imprisoned at Topaz in the Utah desert. Many were American citizens. Families and children living behind barbed wire. At the time, many Americans believed it was necessary for national security. More than 40 years later, the U.S. government formally apologized. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 acknowledged that internment was driven by: race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. History matters because soc