Study Guide Questions
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Did you know that speaking Italian was once considered a crime? Test your knowledge of the World War II internment camps in the U.S. with this quiz. All of the answers can be found in the feature When Speaking Italian Was a Crime.

Questions | Answers

1. With over ___ million Americans of Italian descent in the United States, which makes them the fifth largest ethnic group, the Italian American community boasts a rich history and unequaled vitality.
2. Every __________ the United States federal government declares it Italian American Heritage Month.
3. True/False: The United States was named after an Italian.
4. On the night of December 7, 1941, in the aftermath of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, U.S. agents rounded up ____________________ suspected of disloyalty.
5. Most of the Italian Americans rounded up were immigrants in the process of becoming U.S. citizens; many had been in America for decades but had not been __________.
6. For two years, many Italian Americans lived under ____________________ and some were even __________.
7. True/False: Eventually, 600 Italian Americans would be branded as "enemy aliens."
8. Under what authority did the government make these arrests?
9. About ___ individuals were interned for up to two years in military camps in Montana, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.
10. When the fascist Italian government, lead by Benito Mussolini, declared war on Great Britain and France on June 10, 1940, __________ Italian-Canadians were also branded "enemy aliens."
11. True/False: Acting under the Canadian War Measures Act, the Canadian government temporarily detained 2,400 Italian Canadians and approximately 500 Italian-Canadians were interned during World War II.
12. Many __________ were separated, forced to evacuate their homes, or give up their livelihood.
13. The government encouraged a trend towards prejudice by its posters proclaiming _________________________.
14. What organization is sponsoring a traveling exhibit titled Una Storia Segreta?
15. The exhibit Una Storia Segreta uses __________, __________, and the stories of the victims to detail the trials and travails of the Italian Americans.
16. Una storia segreta means both ____________________ and ____________________ in Italian.
17. The internment of Italian Americans during World War II had remained hidden for ___ years because of the silence imposed by the government.
18. Thousands of aliens were evacuated from prohibited zones on what coast?
19. True/False: A bill in Congress would require the U.S. Department of Justice to compile a report detailing injustices suffered by Italian Americans and would request a formal acknowledgement of these injustices by the Presidents.
20. What is the name of the Congressional bill seeking acknowledgement of wartime discrimination against Italian Americans?