Fear.

Merriam-Webster defines it as “an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.” That’s a decent definition — and it is reasonably useful when looking at historical events where fear is a motivator.

What Merriam-Webster’s definition lacks is any reference to irrationality. Like love, there is always an element of irrationality to fear. (READ MORE: History Isn’t All Black and White. Just Look at Israel.)

Fear and love are the hardest motivators to understand and capture when shaping a historical narrative. They rarely justify an action (arguably that’s more true of fear than love), but can sometimes explain what looks like an irrational overreaction.

So, in the interest of accounting for fear, let’s put ourselves in the shoes of a Californian in March of 1942.