Harada House
Encyclopedia
The Harada House, built in 1884, and located at 3356 Lemon Street in Riverside, California
, became the focus of an important court case testing exclusionary legislation.
The 1916-1918 case of California v. Harada was an early constitutional
test of an alien land law
in the United States
. At issue was the right
of the American-born
children
of Japanese immigrant
Jukichi Harada to own the house
. That right was upheld, setting precedent
for related challenges to such laws.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark
in 1990, and currently is overseen by the Riverside Metropolitan Museum
.
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
, became the focus of an important court case testing exclusionary legislation.
The 1916-1918 case of California v. Harada was an early constitutional
Constitutional law
Constitutional law is the body of law which defines the relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary....
test of an alien land law
California Alien Land Law of 1913
The California Alien Land Law of 1913 prohibited "aliens ineligible for citizenship" from owning land or property, but permitted three-year leases. It affected the Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and Korean immigrant farmers in California. It passed thirty-five to two in the Senate and seventy-two to...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. At issue was the right
Right
Rights are legal, social, or ethical principles of freedom or entitlement; that is, rights are the fundamental normative rules about what is allowed of people or owed to people, according to some legal system, social convention, or ethical theory...
of the American-born
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
children
Nisei
During the early years of World War II, Japanese Americans were forcibly relocated from their homes in the Pacific coast states because military leaders and public opinion combined to fan unproven fears of sabotage...
of Japanese immigrant
Issei
Issei is a Japanese language term used in countries in North America, South America and Australia to specify the Japanese people first to immigrate. Their children born in the new country are referred to as Nisei , and their grandchildren are Sansei...
Jukichi Harada to own the house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
. That right was upheld, setting precedent
Precedent
In common law legal systems, a precedent or authority is a principle or rule established in a legal case that a court or other judicial body may apply when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts...
for related challenges to such laws.
The house was declared a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1990, and currently is overseen by the Riverside Metropolitan Museum
Riverside Metropolitan Museum
The Riverside Metropolitan Museum, or RMM, is an history and anthropological museum located in the historic Mission Inn District of Riverside, California, United States...
.