Matthew Perry traveled to Japan on an expedition trying to open japan for use of a base to stop, do unloading, renew their coal and it would be great. Japan was the perfect location because it had the same latitude lines as san Francisco which means it would be a straight shot.
And of course having a port in Japan would help trade tremendously as a way to stop their and trade the US' goods. It was just a perfect stop for the american ships. 
Griffiths, Ben. "Commodore Perry's Expedition to Japan." Griff World.
http://www.grifworld.com/perryhome.html (accessed January 13, 2010).
http://www.grifworld.com/perryhome.html (accessed January 13, 2010).
Were there any issues between the Japanese and Commodore Perry? Also, what was being traded between Japan and the U.S.?
ReplyDeleteI read through the source you provided but I still cannot find any evidence supporting the claim that Perry was 'crazy about' his naval service.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this was by no means a perfect stop for the American ships. Perry had to resort to threatening the Japanese in order to earn American trading rights in Japan. The Japanese had little choice but to accept Perry's request, because otherwise they would have to force the wrath of the British Empire.
Source: (you will have to make an account to view it) http://select.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://select.nytimes.com/mem/archive/pdf&OQ=_rQ3D2Q26resQ3DF00A16FD3C59177B93C6A8178CD85F478585F9&OP=1841c7caQ2FOZvQ26OtQ228v2qaOd8Q512mmtzO2_dQ5EQ22Uvm_Q258vd8vqO2_8Q22dFvImqPQ7BQ5E8aF
Thanks Cy, you pretty much answered my first question there. It's hard to believe that the Japanese would peacefully let anyone stop at their ports, specifically foreigners.
ReplyDeleteDespite their rocky relationship at first, the US ended up helping Japan develop themselves significantly after the Meiji Restoration. For example, the US helped them develop their military and economy, and the Japanese constitution is also based on our own.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I find this very interesting-
ReplyDeleteI found a site that talks about the woman roles in the U.S Navy in the 19th century if you want to take a quick look, the link is http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq48-3a.htm. It's different because back then they didn't want women aboard the ships or in battles because they thought women were supposed to be working at home kind of people. However, now we know that women are just as capable of fighting in wars as men are.