Your TR Source
President Roosevelt writes to Philip A. Stanton to discuss a new California law that forbids Japanese children from going to school with white children. Roosevelt says this law would violate America’s treaty with Japan and the Federal government would challenge it in court. The rest of the telegram is missing.
1909-02-08
President Roosevelt tells President of the University of California Benjamin Ide Wheeler that he agrees with the sentiment of his recent letter. Roosevelt desires a peaceful understanding with Japan wherein both governments ban laborers from one another’s countries. Roosevelt notes the recent situation in San Francisco where Japanese children were barred from attending a public school based on their race will make a labor exclusion agreement with Japan difficult to obtain.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-20
A statement regarding Japanese-U.S. relations based on an interview with Ambassador Charles S. Francis by an editor of the Vienna newspaper, Neue Freie Presse. Francis does not believe that the barring of Japanese children in San Francisco schools will have a negative impact on the friendly relationship between the United States and Japan.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-12-11
President Roosevelt writes his son Kermit about recent guests at the White House and taking walks. Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt needed a break and took Ethel Roosevelt away for forty-eight hours on the Sylph. He says his hands are full with California trying to keep Japanese out of their schools. Congress is refusing to provide fortifications for the Philippines and Hawaii or allow Roosevelt to build up the navy. Kermit has taken notes on the envelope.
1907-02-04
President Roosevelt writes his son Kermit to say his travel plans to Harvard and Groton have leaked out, and mentions an article he read. Roosevelt also describes going for horseback rides through the snow, as well as a gift some sailors from the Louisiana gave to Mother. He adds that San Francisco mayor Eugene Schmitz and the school board have arrived to discuss letting Japanese children into their schools. Kermit appears to have taken notes on the back of the envelope.
1907-02-09
Victor Howard Metcalf updates President Roosevelt about the tense situation growing between Japan and the United States over the segregation of Japanese children in schools. The California Supreme Court’s decision will be based on whether or not the treaty with Japan had a “most favored nation” clause. This will determine what the United States’, and thus California’s, obligation is to educate immigrant Japanese students in the same manner that it educates immigrant children from European descent, who are educated as if they were American children. United States District Attorney Devlin seems to think the clause was not included. This needs to be determined to decide whether or not segregating the students was in violation of the treaty. Metcalf notes hostility to the Chinese that is nearly as bad as towards Chinese immigrants and mentions that both parties are in support of legislation to restrict Japanese immigrants.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-11-02
Kentarō Kaneko writes to President Roosevelt about the recent call in San Francisco by school administrators to pull Japanese children out of schools. Kaneko describes Japan as a “consistently firm friend” and asks that Roosevelt take appropriate measures immediately, for justice and humanity.
Library of Congress Manuscript Division
1906-10-26