An expedition sent to
open Japan from two hundred years of isolation to fulfill the economic and
political wants of the United States. Explore the United States and its
intention for sending Commodore Matthew Perry to Japan.
Perry Expedition (1853 - 1854) was sent by the United States of America to open Japan for humanitarian, economic, and political purposes through the use of classic gunboat diplomacy. From Norfolk, Virginia, Perry set sailed for Japan with the objective of delivering a letter from the American President, which asked its Emperor to end its close door policy and treat foreigners humanely. Perry's presence in Japan and the Treaty of Kanagawa signed on March 31, 1854, caused a divide within the Shogunate resulting to further to the decline of the Tokugawa and eventually leading to its downfall. Perry Expedition precipitated the rise of modern Japan.
Commodore Perry’s
United States
Commodore
Perry’s United States of America was a budding power. Although it faced social
and political divide, it boasted a growing economy and an expanding territory.
And in the international stage, it stood as a giant in the Americas and intended to
expand further to other regions.
Domestic
social issues rattled the United States during the middle of the 19th century.
The issue of slavery divided the country to anti-slavery northern states and
anti-slavery southern states. For a decade the issue continued to intensify
until the Civil War broke out in the 1860’s.
Although
slavery divided the country, the north and south divide showed America’s strong
economic structure. In the North, manufacturing industries boomed while the
South’s agriculture flourished built sadly on slave labor. With two important
sectors performing well, the United States walked on a path towards becoming
the largest and strongest economy in the world.
The
United States also boasted an expanding territory less than a century after
gaining independence in 1776. Within that period the United States more than doubled its size. And
by 1850, its lands connected the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.
This expansion of territory came as result of American idea of Manifest
Destiny.
The
Manifest Destiny defined America’s role as a civilizing agent – the so-called
white man’s burden. This Social Darwinist idea defined the United States’
expansion westward, waging war against “savage” Native Indians and even against
neighboring Mexico. In particular, the war with Mexico brought the world’s
attention as it resulted to its acquisition of large territories from Mexicans,
including the large and rich state of California. California gave the United
States access to the Pacific and connected American interest to the Asia Pacific
region.
Economic
opportunities in the Asia-Pacific region were immense. China
trade offered huge profits. In addition, the trade also expanded America’s interest
in the Sandwich Islands and its equally priced sandalwood. Other than
trade with China, whaling in the Pacific was profitable. American
ships hunted whales for their wax to make candles and oil for lightning. These
two industries made the United States so interested in the region.
In
1850, a new President lived on the White House – President Millard Fillmore.
His presidency was characterize by continuing rift between the Pro-Slavery
South and Anti-Slavery North. Many defined his presidency as uneventful in the
domestic front. However, in foreign affairs, Fillmore invigorated
American foreign policy by promoting American interest in Asia-Pacific and
Latin America. In Asia, specifically, he expanded American presence in China.
And with the expanding activities in China and the Pacific Ocean, he
set his sights on Japan.
American Interest and
Reasons for the Expedition
There were several reasons for American interest on Japan. Economy and
diplomacy played a major role in the sending of the expedition. But humanitarian
and simple curiosity also had their share as well.
All of these provided the reason to dispatch an expedition to the Land of the
Rising Sun.
United
States saw fruitful economic benefits from opening Japan. As China trade and
whaling industry grew, more and more American ships passed by Japan as it
laid in the middle of their commercial route. It was near the jet stream that
helped sailing vessels travel faster. Also, it had plenty of whales in its
seas. The advent of coal powered steam-driven ships, reports from the
Dutch indicated existence of coal in Japan; and with its location, it sat as a perfect
coaling station for American ships. The Islands also offered wide variety of oriental
goods that matched China’s. And so, the Americans viewed Japan as a perfect coaling
station and an alternative source for highly priced exotic eastern products.
Political
and diplomatic implications interested the
United States. With the rise of American traffic in Japanese seas, as a
result, news of shipwrecks and castaway sailors in Japan rose. However, news spread of Japanese officials
terribly treating Americans ships and mariners. Japanese cannons fired upon
American ships coming close to their shores, while sailors drifted
unintentionally to their coast faced imprisonment under horrific conditions. If
American ships returned rescued Japanese sailors to Japan, they faced
hostility. American traders, whalers, mariners, and even American navy officer
lobbied for an expedition to change Japan’s attitude. And for Washington, the
growing clamor must be addressed immediately.
Prestige and elevation of the United States profile in the
international stage if it succeeded in opening reclusive Japan was also a motivation. They looked at
an expedition as a fulfillment of Manifest Destiny in the other side of the
world. Moreover, it would also bring huge prestige in diplomacy and history to
be the first country to sign a treaty of friendship when other countries, like Russia, Britain, and the Netherlands failed
to do so. The United States had much to gain in its diplomatic standing.
Other
than political and economic reasons, humanitarian reasons justified the
American expedition. They wanted to improve treatment of sailors and ships washed or wrecked in Japanese shore. They wanted the Japanese to respect international ships passing
by their seas just as a civilized and responsible country would.
Lastly, Americans were also curious about Japan. For two hundred years, Japan shut its
doors closed to the outside world and making it in the west known as Tierra Incognito or the Unknown Lands.
Bits of information about the country only got out from the Dutch and Chinese
who stayed with blessings of the Japanese government in the island of Dejima
in Nagasaki. Due to the scant amount of information about the country,
Japan mystified many adventurist westerners. And so, by sending an expedition,
many curiosities would be answered.
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