What did Commodore Perry give to Japan in hopes of them becoming friends with us? Name 3 examples.

Written by: Bonnie M. Miller, University of Massachusetts Boston

By the end of this department, you will:

• Explain the causes and furnishings of westward expansion from 1844 to 1877

Suggested Sequencing

Use this Narrative to help students understand the Usa' motivations for opening trade with Japan.

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In the summer of 1853, the Japanese people watched apprehensively as large black ships from the United states entered the port of Uraga in Japan. Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, known to his men as "Old Bruin," commanded the fleet that was to pause the longstanding isolation of Japan from the outside world. The Commodore arrived with orders from President Millard Fillmore to deliver a letter to the Emperor, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, seeking to commence friendly relations between the two countries.

(a) President Millard Fillmore, shown in a photo from nearly 1850, dispatched (b) Commodore Perry to Japan. Perry arrived four months afterward Fillmore's time as president had ended.

Commodore Perry was fiercely determined to succeed in his mission: to open Nihon to American trade and influence. Before 1852, he had never set foot in Asia or sailed in Pacific waters. But since the conquering of the Oregon territory in 1846 and the taking of California from Mexico in 1848, the settlement of the western coastline of the United States had increased interest in the Pacific merchandise. Japan's strategic location between California and People's republic of china made it especially highly-seasoned because it could serve every bit a coaling station for merchant steamships on route to and from China. In addition, the American whaling industry had been advancing into Pacific waters to search for sperm whales, which had largely been depleted in the Atlantic. All these factors awakened interest in Japan, but the country had remained virtually isolated from the West for over two centuries. Would its isolation keep?

This was non the get-go time the United States had aspired to establish contact with Nihon, but every earlier effort had failed. Commodore David Porter proposed an expedition to open Nihon in 1815, but his asking was denied. In 1837, Charles Westward. Male monarch, an American merchant in trade with Communist china, landed his ship in Japan to institute commercial relations, on the pretext of returning Japanese castaways who had been shipwrecked. He retreated after the Japanese opened fire on his ship. In 1846, the U.S. government organized a formal expedition, sending Commodore James Biddle into Edo Bay to begin treaty negotiations, just the Japanese sternly refused and sent him away. What enabled Commodore Perry to succeed when all his predecessors had failed?

Commodore James Biddle's quest to negotiate a treaty with Nippon failed only seven years before Perry's trip.

Commodore Perry had a plan: he sought to intimidate Japan into signing a treaty of friendly relations with a prove of U.S. naval prowess. His challenge was to secure negotiations without actually resorting to the use of force. Perry strategically chose to enter Japanese waters with an armada of large black steamships to impress the Japanese with the spectacle of American formidability. Mustered at his insistence, this was the largest naval force the U.s. had ever sent overseas and so far. Requiring no sails to movement, the steamships were a marvel of naval technology to the Japanese. Perry'due south mission had 3 objectives: outset, to seek assurances that Japanese authorities would protect and provision American sailors who were shipwrecked in Japanese waters; second, to gain permission for American ships to enter Japanese ports to obtain nutrient, water, fuel, and other necessary provisions; and third, to obtain permission for U.Due south. merchant ships to trade their goods in Japanese ports.

Commodore Perry first landed in Okinawa, an island off the coast of Nihon and controlled by an outside entity, the prince of Satsuma. Okinawans were not ethnically or culturally the same as the Japanese people, so establishing Okinawa as an American outpost in the Pacific was advantageous just did not effectively complete the mission. Perry'due south negotiations with the Okinawans, however, served as a apparel rehearsal for what was to come, and fifty-fifty more importantly, enabled him to put on a show of ability for the Japanese leadership, who watched from a distance.

With his optics on the upper-case letter city of Edo, Perry docked at Uraga. When Japanese officials boarded the ship, he remained in his cabin. Having made the strategic decision to interact only with top-level officials, he instructed his flag lieutenant to convey their purpose of delivering a letter of the alphabet from President Fillmore to the Japanese Emperor. Although Perry's aide reassured the Japanese that the squadron's intentions were peaceful, he besides made it clear that if they refused to relay the letter to the emperor, the commodore would evangelize it past forcefulness. Perry did not truly empathise the ability dynamics of the Japanese bakufu, equally the government was chosen, which is why he sought to negotiate with the Japanese emperor, the shogun. The shogun, Tokugawa Ieyoshi, situated in Edo, was actually sick at the time and was more than of a symbolic figurehead than a practical leader. Power had shifted in Japan from the weak shoguns to appointed leaders; in 1853, constructive ruling authority fell to Principal Senior Councilor, Lord Abe Masahiro. In the stop, Commodore Perry and Lord Abe were the ones primarily responsible for securing the terms of the treaty.

Abe Masahiro led the Council of Elders in making decisions for the treaty between the United States and Nippon.

While Perry'due south fleet remained docked, the Japanese people, fearing attack from the black ships, stood on emergency alarm. Seeking to avoid war and purchase fourth dimension, Lord Abe directed his officials to have the letter in a m ceremony six days later in Kurihama. As a military machine ring played "Hail Columbia," one of several songs (including "The Star Spangled Banner") that, in 1854, served as unofficial national anthems for the United States, Perry, wearing his blue dress compatible, marched a contingent of 250 sailors and marines to the meeting spot and presented the documents to agents of the Japanese government. Perry bestowed gifts, including Kentucky bourbon, Filly six-shooters, and a model train, on the Japanese and insisted they accept them, even though the Japanese officials strongly protested because Japanese law forbade receiving gifts. In pressing the Japanese to yield on this small-scale matter of ceremony, Perry asserted his power over the state of affairs. He agreed to return in the spring of 1854 to receive the Shogun'south response and give the Japanese bakufu time to reverberate on his demands.

This depiction of Commodore Perry's 1854 visit to Japan was painted by German American artist Wilhelm Heine, who fabricated the trip as a "master'south mate."

Lord Abe was in an impossible situation. He knew that if he accustomed Perry's letter of the alphabet and bankrupt Japan'southward celebrated seclusion, his people would view this every bit a sign of failure and vulnerability. Given the political divisions within his ain government, yielding to the Americans could provoke civil unrest, possibly resulting in the degradation of the Tokugawa Shogunate. At the same time, Lord Abe besides had to consider the possible results of denying Perry's requests; it could risk war with the U.s.a., which would likely end in defeat and possibly colonial domination. Later two centuries of peace, the strength of the Japanese military had waned and much of the samurai (warrior) class was employed in other occupations. What was Lord Abe to exercise?

After much deliberation, Abe decided to seek a middle basis and accept two of Perry's three demands. He agreed to offering assistance to shipwrecked sailors and provide fuel and other provisions to American ships at 2 Japanese ports: Hokodate in the due north and Shimoda in the southward. These ports were distant enough from Edo that he could maintain the isolation of the capital. But on the issue of assuasive foreign trade, Abe stood his ground and refused. Perry reluctantly accepted this concession because he believed he had accomplished the first pace in opening the door and trade would follow. His instincts were right; President Franklin Pierce, Millard Fillmore's successor, signed the Treaty of Kanagawa that Perry and Lord Abe had negotiated on March 31, 1854. Four years later, the The states and Japan signed a commercial treaty establishing formal merchandise relations.

Was Perry backbiting when he threatened to utilise force? We volition never know what he would have done if the Japanese bakufu had refused to negotiate. His strategy of intimidation was more effective than fifty-fifty he realized at the time, because he was unaware of the extent to which Nihon was both militarily unprepared and politically divided, leaving the country vulnerable to attack.

The Treaty of Kanagawa was the Commodore's greatest naval accomplishment. For Japan, the agreement led to a flow of social and political upheaval. Lord Abe resigned his post in 1855 and passed abroad two years later at the age of 37. Perry died presently later, in 1858. These two leaders changed the course of history for Nihon and the U.s.. Although there were members of the bakufu who had advocated change earlier Perry'south landing, the opening of Nihon created an immediate demand for the nation to modernize to protect itself from potential international aggressors. This turn of events ushered in political change, armed forces buildup, and social transformation for the Japanese people that set up the nation on a course toward becoming a armed forces and industrial world power. It also opened the door to eastern migration. Growing American industries like the railroads also helped to spur Japanese clearing to Hawaii and California in the tardily nineteenth century, supplying a pool of cheap immigrant labor.

In 1901, the Japanese government constructed a monument to honor Perry's memory in the metropolis of Kurihama. Given that his visit had set in motility an royal rivalry in the Pacific that culminated in Earth War Ii, it is non surprising that it was torn down during the war. Still, subsequently Nippon's defeat, the new government restored the monument, and it remains in place today.

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Review Questions

1. To which objective of Commodore Perry's mission did the Japanese agree?

1. Incarcerating American sailors shipwrecked in Japanese waters
2. Creating a military alliance against Chinese imperialism
3. Allowing U.South. merchant ships to trade at Japanese ports
4. Opening multiple ports for American ships to enter for safe refueling

2. Why did the Japanese authorities concur to any of Commodore Perry's demands?

1. The Japanese government wanted to end its policy of national exclusion.
2. The U.S. authorities agreed to pay Japan $5,000,000 to accept the treaty.
3. The Japanese authorities sought U.S. protection from the ascension ability of China.
4. The Japanese regime sought U.S. protection from the rising power of Red china.

3.

"We know that the ancient laws of your majestic majesty's government practice non permit of foreign merchandise, except with the Chinese and the Dutch; merely as the state of the world changes and new governments are formed, it seems to exist wise, from time to time, to make new laws."

President Millard Fillmore, Letter to His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of Nihon, November 13, 1852

Refer to the excerpt provided.

This letter was sent to the leader of

1. Japan
2. Russia
3. the Philippines
4. Hawaii

4. Commodore Perry's visits to Nihon resulted in

1. state of war betwixt the Nippon and People's republic of china
2. annexation of Japan by the United States
3. creation of a trans-Pacific military alliance
4. diplomatic exchanges and admission to Japanese ports

five.

A painting depicting the landing of Commodore Perry, officers, and men of the Squadron to encounter the Imperial Commissioners at Yoku-hama (today known as Yokohama) on March 8th, 1854.

Refer to the paradigm provided.

This painting illustrates an example of

1. strong-arm affairs
2. popular sovereignty
3. isolationism
4. nativism

six.

Japanese Mission in Washington, DC, 1860.

Refer to the image provided.

The events in the photo resulted most directly from

1. the need for Spousal relationship allies as the Civil State of war commenced
2. Commodore Perry's visits in the previous decade
3. America'south economic interests in the Caribbean area
4. concerns over Russian and Chinese imperialism in Nippon

Free Response Questions

1. Explain the United states' interest in having access to Nihon and the Pacific in the mid-nineteenth century.
2. Evaluate Commodore Perry'southward success in opening upwardly Japan to U.S. contact.

AP Practice Questions

This print depicts the first landing of U.South. representatives in Nihon, under Commodore One thousand.C. Perry at Gore-Hama on July 14, 1853.

Refer to the image provided.

1. The events depicted reflected a growing belief that

1. ascension sectional tensions would pb to a ceremonious war between the slave and free states
2. the militarization of Japan was a threat to American interests in the Pacific
3. the addition of California to the United States would encourage Pacific economic trade
4. American expansionism should cease at the continental borders

two. The events depicted in the provided image near directly led to

1. an end to Japanese isolation
2. improvement in U.S. diplomatic relations in China
3. the looting of the Philippines
4. a great migration from Nippon to the United States

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Primary Sources

"Letters From U.Due south. President Millard Fillmore and U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew C. Perry to the Emperor of Japan (1852-1853)." http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/nihon/fillmore_perry_letters.pdf

Suggested Resources

Feifer, George. Breaking Open up Japan: Commodore Perry, Lord Abe, and American Imperialism in 1853. New York: Smithsonian Books, 2006.

Herring, George C. From Colony to Superpower: U.Southward. Strange Relations since 1776. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2008.

Morison, Samuel Eliot. "Sometime Bruin": Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry, 1794-1858: The American Naval Officer Who Helped Found Republic of liberia, Hunted Pirates in the Due west Indies, Practised Affairs with the Sultan of Turkey And the Rex of the Two Sicilies; Commanded the Gulf Squadron in the Mexican War, Promoted the Steam Navy and the Shell Gun, And Conducted the Naval Expedition Which Opened Japan. Boston: Little, Brownish and Company, 1967.

Schroeder, John H. Matthew Calbraith Perry, Antebellum Sailor and Diplomat. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Printing, 2001.

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Source: https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/commodore-perry-and-the-opening-of-japan

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