Commodore Matthew C. Perry: 1853 Expedition to Japan
In March
1852, President Millard Fillmore ordered Commodore Matthew Perry
(1794-1858) to command
the U.S. Navy's expedition to establish diplomatic and trading
relations with Japan - refer to
Commodore
Matthew Perry's
Mission to Japan. During Matthew Perry's first
expedition to Japan in 1853 he had intimidated the
Japanese by exercising demonstrations of the military
strength of the United States by arriving in Japan on
steam powered ships and shelling Uraga using a new type
of canons called the Paixhans shell gun - it would be
called Gunboat Diplomacy.
Commodore Matthew C. Perry: 1853 Expedition to Japan
Commodore Matthew Perry
left Japan on the July 14, 1853 declaring that he
would return the following year to receive the Japanese
response to the letter from President Millard Fillmore,
to the Emperor of Japan.
The
Convention of Kanagawa
When Matthew Perry returned to Japan on February 13,
1854 he met with Japanese officials at the
Convention of Kanagawa to find that the Japanese had
already prepared a treaty accepting the importance of
demands in President Millard Fillmore's letter. The Japanese
government had realized that Japan was in no
position to defend itself against a foreign power,
with superior military capabilities, and that Japan
could not retain its isolation policy without
risking war.
The
Kanagawa Treaty
(Treaty of Amity and Commerce) for kids
The Kanagawa Treaty between the United States and
Japan was signed on the deck of the USS Powhatan
flagship in Edo (now Tokyo) Bay on March 31,
1854. The Kanagawa Treaty was the precursor to the
"Treaty of Peace and Amity" and established formal
diplomatic relations between Japan and the United
States. The Kanagawa Treaty was not a commercial
treaty, and it did not guarantee the right to trade
with Japan - the treaty relating to important matter
of trading rights was left to Townsend Harris who
would become the first Consul General to the Empire
of Japan. The terms and provisions of the Kanagawa
Treaty were:
● Peace and
friendship between the United States and Japan
and the exchange of diplomatic agents
● Allowed for a
US Consul in Shimoda
● Opening two
ports to American ships at Shimoda and Hakodate
● Granted
permission for US ships to buy supplies
including coal and other necessary provisions in
Japanese ports
● Granted
protection for US sailors
● Agreed to
open a harbor for trade within 5 years
The
Kanagawa Treaty for kids:
The
Treaty of Amity and Commerce: The
Harris
Treaty
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce contained all the
provisions of the Kanagawa Treaty negotiated by
Commodore Matthew Perry. The Kanagawa Treaty
was re-named the Treaty of Amity
and Commerce and its terms were concluded by Townsend Harris
who had been appointed the first Consul General to
the Empire of Japan. The Kanagawa Treaty, renamed
the Treaty of Amity and
Commerce also received yet another name - the Harris
Treaty. The final Kanagawa Treaty (the Treaty of Amity and
Commerce or the Harris Treaty) was signed on July 29, 1858. The
additional provisions contained in the final
Kanagawa Treaty concentrated on trade. The terms and
provisions added to the final part of the Kanagawa
Treaty were:
● Opening of
the ports of of Kanagawa, Kobe, Nagasaki,
Niigata, and Yokohama to foreign trade
● Permission
for United States citizens to live and trade in
the trading ports, protected by U.S. laws
● Fixed low
import-export duties
● The right of
missionary operations and teaching
The signing of
the Kanagawa treaty signaled the end of Japanese
isolation.
The
Kanagawa Treaty
for kids: Gunboat Diplomacy
Treaty of Kanagawa began a tradition of
"Gunboat diplomacy". The term "Gunboat diplomacy"
refers to foreign policy carried out with the
backing of the threat, or use of, military force.
"Gunboat diplomacy" is often associated with
mid-nineteenth century American expansionism. The
Matthew Perry expedition to Japan and the Kanagawa
Treaty is therefore
viewed by many to be an extension of the doctrine of
Manifest Destiny, by which
Americans believed they had a "God-given" right to spread their
political doctrines and commerce across the
continent of North America. The "Gunboat diplomacy"
applied by Commodore Matthew Perry was applied, with
disastrous results, by
Pierre Soulé, the
minister to Spain during the affair of the
1854 Ostend Manifesto.
Treaty of Kanagawa for kids - President Millard Fillmore Video
The article on the
Treaty of Kanagawa provides an overview of one of the Important issues of his presidential term in office. The following
Millard Fillmore video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 13th American President whose presidency spanned from July 9, 1850 to March 4, 1853.
Treaty of Kanagawa
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Interesting Facts about Treaty of Kanagawa for kids and schools
●
Definition of the Treaty of Kanagawa in US history
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The Treaty of Kanagawa, a Important
event in US history
●
Millard Fillmore Presidency from July 9, 1850 to March 4, 1853
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Fast, fun, interesting facts about the Treaty of
Kanagawa
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Millard Fillmore
● Millard Fillmore Presidency and
the Treaty of Kanagawa for schools,
homework, kids and children
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