Aidan Williams
Thesis Question: Did opening Japan benefit both countries involved?
Thesis: Commodore Matthew Perry’s influence on Japan benefitted the United States immediately, however, moving out of isolation led to negative consequences for Japan.
Intro
President Millard Fillmore sent Matthew Perry to Japan to break the seclusion policy, sign diplomatic and commercial treaties, and thus open Japan to the West
Foreign contact with Japan was limited
“I have no other object in sending him to Japan but to propose to your imperial majesty that the United States and Japan should live in friendship and have commercial intercourse with each other”- Millard Fillmore
Perry’s mission was to get Japan to agree to protect shipwrecked sailors and open …show more content…
Fleet of boats were used as intimidation as well
The same belief in the Manifest Destiny that pushed Americans to settle the entire United States led Americans to seek colonies in other parts of the world
What America wanted:
American port in the Pacific
Japan held large amounts of coal
Safe harbours- assistance in case of shipwrecked sailors
Fillmore authorized a naval expedition to Japan to return shipwrecked Japanese sailors and request that stranded Americans in Japan be sent back to the US
Why Perry was Chosen
Proven himself in the Mexican-American War
Came up with using steam power for Naval ships
Carried a letter from President Fillmore to be delivered to Emperor of Japan
Counterargument: Although the US pursued the opening of Japan, for selfish reasons, Japan did benefit economically from the new arrangement
Japan
1880s Japan built railroads, opened banks that gave credit to industries (Gordon 96)
Japan's production increased more than 2.5 times more than what the US produced from 1895- 1915 (Gordon 96)
Japan adopted Western ways of increasing their industry:
Production
Japan was opened to world trade
Military
Every male had to serve at least 5 years
Abolished samurai
Political organization
Moved away from
Thesis Question: Did opening Japan benefit both countries involved?
Thesis: Commodore Matthew Perry’s influence on Japan benefitted the United States immediately, however, moving out of isolation led to negative consequences for Japan.
Intro
President Millard Fillmore sent Matthew Perry to Japan to break the seclusion policy, sign diplomatic and commercial treaties, and thus open Japan to the West
Foreign contact with Japan was limited
“I have no other object in sending him to Japan but to propose to your imperial majesty that the United States and Japan should live in friendship and have commercial intercourse with each other”- Millard Fillmore
Perry’s mission was to get Japan to agree to protect shipwrecked sailors and open …show more content…
Fleet of boats were used as intimidation as well
The same belief in the Manifest Destiny that pushed Americans to settle the entire United States led Americans to seek colonies in other parts of the world
What America wanted:
American port in the Pacific
Japan held large amounts of coal
Safe harbours- assistance in case of shipwrecked sailors
Fillmore authorized a naval expedition to Japan to return shipwrecked Japanese sailors and request that stranded Americans in Japan be sent back to the US
Why Perry was Chosen
Proven himself in the Mexican-American War
Came up with using steam power for Naval ships
Carried a letter from President Fillmore to be delivered to Emperor of Japan
Counterargument: Although the US pursued the opening of Japan, for selfish reasons, Japan did benefit economically from the new arrangement
Japan
1880s Japan built railroads, opened banks that gave credit to industries (Gordon 96)
Japan's production increased more than 2.5 times more than what the US produced from 1895- 1915 (Gordon 96)
Japan adopted Western ways of increasing their industry:
Production
Japan was opened to world trade
Military
Every male had to serve at least 5 years
Abolished samurai
Political organization
Moved away from