Final answer:
Executive Order 9066 was intended to evacuate individuals who posed a threat to national security, which primarily affected Japanese Americans during WWII. The order led to their internment, though no evidence of disloyalty was found among the internees.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of Executive Order 9066, issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942, was to evacuate all individuals who posed a threat to national security [ Option D ]. This mainly targeted individuals of Japanese descent on the West Coast of the United States during World War II. Although the order resulted in the internment of approximately 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, it was also used to detain a smaller number of Italian and German immigrants. The order was a response to fears of espionage or sabotage following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Nonetheless, the implementation of this order led to widespread loss of civil rights for Japanese Americans.
Japanese Americans and persons of Japanese descent were the primary groups affected by Executive Order 9066. Most of the detainees were U.S. citizens or resident aliens who were forcibly removed from their homes and placed in internment camps. These actions were later challenged in landmark Supreme Court cases, such as Korematsu v. United States, that addressed the constitutionality of such measures. Unfortunately, the Supreme Court upheld the government's right to intern Japanese Americans as a wartime necessity in a 6-3 decision.
The executive order was not designed to create racial divides or prevent discrimination, but rather was deemed a security measure during wartime. However, it has since been recognized as a grave injustice and a significant civil liberties violation against a specific racial group.