Photograph of Perry

Matthew Calbraith Perry (April 10, 1794 – March 4, 1858) was the Commodore of the U.S. Navy who forced the opening of Japan to the West with the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854, under the threat of military force. PD photo of Matthew C. Perry, collected from http://www. ... PD photo of Matthew C. Perry, collected from http://www. ... April 10 is the 100th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (101st in leap years). ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... March 4 is the 63rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (64th in leap years). ... 1858 is a common year starting on Friday. ... The military rank of commodore is used in some navies for officers who command more than one ship, but are not senior enough to be made admirals. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... On March 31, 1854, the Convention of Kanagawa (Japanese:神奈川条約,or 日米和親条約) was used by Commodore Matthew Perry of the U.S. Navy to force the opening of the Japanese ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade and ended Japans 200 year policy of seclusion. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

Early Life and Naval Career

Born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, he was the son of Captain Christopher R. Perry and the younger brother of Oliver Hazard Perry. Matthew Perry obtained a midshipman's commission in the Navy in 1809, and was initially assigned to Revenge, under the command of his elder brother. South Kingstown is a town located in Washington County, Rhode Island. ... Captain Christopher Raymond Perry (4 December 1761 – 1 June 1818) was an officer in the United States Navy. ... Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry (August 23, 1785–August 23, 1819) was an officer in the United States Navy. ... 1809 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The third Revenge was a schooner in the United States Navy during the years preceding the War of 1812. ...

Perry's early career saw him assigned to several different ships, including the President, where he was aide to Commodore John Rodgers, which was in a victorious engagement over a British vessel, HMS Little Belt, shortly before the War of 1812 was officially declared. During that war Perry was transferred to USS United States, and consequently saw little fighting in that war afterward since the ship was trapped at New London, Connecticut. After the war he served on various vessels in the Mediterranean and Africa (notably aboard USS Cyane during its patrol off Liberia in 1819-1820), sent to suppress piracy and the slave trade in the West Indies. Later during this period, while in port in Russia, Perry was offered a commission in the Russian navy, which he declined. Two ships of the United States Navy have been named USS President, after the office of the President of the United States. ... John Rodgers (11 July 1772 - 1 August 1838), American naval officer, was born near present Havre de Grace, Maryland. ... The War of 1812 was a conflict fought in North America between the United States and Great Britain. ... The first USS United States was a frigate in the United States Navy in 1797. ... View of New London from across the Thames River New London, Connecticut is a city in New London County, at the mouth of the Thames River and on the northeastern shore of Long Island Sound. ... Cyane was a sailing frigate built in 1796 at Frinsbury, England, for the Royal Navy. ... 1819 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Command Assignments, 1820s-1840s

Perry commanded Shark from 1821-1825, and from 1826-1827 acted as fleet captain for Commodore Rodgers. Perry returned for shore duty to Charleston, South Carolina in 1828, and in 1830 took command of USS Concord. He spent the years of 1833-1837 as second officer of the New York Navy Yard (later the Brooklyn Navy Yard), gaining promotion to captain at the end of this tour. The first Shark was a schooner in the United States Navy. ... 1821 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1825 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... 1826 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1827 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Charleston is an American city located in Charleston County, South Carolina. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1830 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1833 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The New York Naval Shipyard (NYNSY), also known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard , the New York Navy Yard and United States Navy Yard, New York, is located 1. ...

Support for Naval Education and Modernization

Perry had a considerable interest in naval education, supporting an apprentice system to train new seamen, and helped establish the curriculum for the United States Naval Academy. Additionally, he was a vocal proponent of modernization of the Navy. Once promoted to captain, he oversaw construction of the Navy's second steam frigate, USS Fulton, which he commanded after its completion. He was called "The Father of the Steam Navy." He organized America's first corps of naval engineers, and conducted the first U.S. naval gunnery school while commanding Fulton in 1839-1840 off Sandy Hook on the coast of New Jersey. Teamwork: Fourth Class Midshipmen lock arms and use ropes made from uniform items as they brace themselves climbing the Herndon Monument The United States Naval Academy, or USNA, is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps. ... 1839 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Image of Sandy Hook taken by NASA. Sandy Hook is a narrow coastal spit of land, approximately 12 mi (19 km) in length and 0. ... State nickname: The Garden State Other U.S. States Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Governor Richard Codey (acting) Official languages None defined Area 22,608 km² (47th)  - Land 19,231 km²  - Water 3,378 km² (14. ...

Promotion to Commodore

Perry acquired the courtesy title of commodore in 1841, and was made chief of the New York Navy Yard in the same year. In 1843 he took command of the African Squadron, whose duty was to interdict the slave trade under the Webster-Ashburton Treaty, and continued in this endeavor through 1844. 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The New York Naval Shipyard (NYNSY), also known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard , the New York Navy Yard and United States Navy Yard, New York, is located 1. ... 1843 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... The Africa Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy that operated from 1843 to 1859 to suppress the slave trade along the coast of West Africa. ... This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, settled the dispute over the location of the Maine-New Brunswick border between the United States and Canada as well as the location of the border in the westward frontier up to the Rocky Mountains. ... 1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

The Mexican-American War

During the Mexican-American War Perry was in charge of the Gulf Fleet, and commanded the force that captured Frontera, Tabasco and Laguna in 1846. In 1847 the forces under Perry's command supported the siege of Veracruz. The Mexican-American War was a war fought between the United States and Mexico between 1846 and 1848. ... This article refers to Tabasco state; for the condiment see Tabasco sauce Other Mexican States Capital Villahermosa Other major cities List of municipalities Area 25,267 km² Ranked 24th Population (2000 census) 1,889,370 Ranked 20th Governor (2001-07) Manuel Andrade Díaz (PRI) Federal Deputies (6) PRI = 6... 1846 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Siege of Veracruz Conflict Mexican-American War Date March 9-29, 1847 Place Veracruz, Veracruz Result U.S. victory The Battle of Veracruz was a 20-day siege of the key Mexican seaport of Veracruz, Veracruz, during the Mexican-American War. ...

The "Opening of Japan": 1852-1854

First Visit, 1852-1853

In 1852, Perry embarked from Norfolk, Virginia for Japan, in command of a squadron in search of a Japanese trade treaty. Aboard a black-hulled steam frigate, he ported Mississippi, Plymouth, Saratoga, and Susquehanna at Uraga Harbor near Edo (modern Tokyo) on July 8, 1853, and was met by representatives of the Tokugawa Shogunate who told him to proceed to Nagasaki, where there was limited trade with the Netherlands and which was the only Japanese port open to foreigners at that time. Perry refused to leave and demanded permission to present a letter from President Millard Fillmore, threatening force if he was denied. Japan had been living reclusely apart from modern technology, and the Japanese military forces could not resist Perry's modern weaponry; the "black ships" would then become, in Japan, a symbol of threatening Western technology and colonialism. 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Norfolk, Virginia, viewed from Portsmouth, across the Elizabeth River Norfolk is a city in the U.S. state of Virginia in the United States of America. ... USS Mississippi, a sidewheel steamer, was the first ship of the United States Navy bear that name. ... USS Plymouth, a sloop-of-war, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for a town in Massachusetts on Plymouth Bay, 18 miles southeast of Brockton, Massachusetts; founded by the Pilgrims in 1620. ... USS Saratoga, a sloop-of-war, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of Saratoga of the American Revolutionary War. ... USS Susquehanna, a sidewheel steamer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for a river which rises in Lake Otsego in central New York and flows across Pennsylvania and the northeast corner of Maryland to empty into the Chesapeake Bay. ... Tokyo (東京; Tōkyō  listen, literally eastern capital), is located in the Kanto region on the island of Honshu in Japan. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 1853 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Tokugawa shogunate or Tokugawa bakufu (徳川幕府) (also known as the Edo bakufu) was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established in 1603 by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family until 1868. ... Megane-bashi, the Eyeglasses Bridge Nagasaki (長崎市; -shi) is the capital and the largest city of Nagasaki Prefecture located at the south-western coast of Kyushu, Japan. ... Millard Fillmore ( January 7, 1800 – March 8, 1874) was the thirteenth ( 1850– 1853) President of the United States and the second President to succeed to the office from the Vice Presidency on the death of the predecessor. ... This article is in need of attention. ... In politics and in history, a colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a geographically-distinct state (or city, in ancient times). ...

The Japanese government, so as to avoid naval bombardment, had to accept Perry's coming ashore. Perry proceeded ashore at Kurihama (near present Yokosuka) on July 14, presented the letter to delegates present and left for the China coast, promising to return for a reply. Categories: Cities in Kanagawa Prefecture | Japan geography stubs ... July 14 is the 195th day (196th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 170 days remaining. ...

Second Visit, 1854

A map of Coal Mines distribution on Formosa Island in the Narrative of the Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry's Expedition to Japan.

Perry returned in February, 1854 with twice as many ships, finding that the delegates had prepared a treaty embodying virtually all the demands in Fillmore's letter. Perry signed the document on March 31, 1854 and departed, mistakenly believing the agreement had been made with imperial representatives. Download high resolution version (900x608, 72 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (900x608, 72 KB) This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... On March 31, 1854, the Convention of Kanagawa (Japanese:神奈川条約,or 日米和親条約) was used by Commodore Matthew Perry of the U.S. Navy to force the opening of the Japanese ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade and ended Japans 200 year policy of seclusion. ... March 31 is the 90th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (91st in Leap years), with 275 days remaining, as the final day of March. ... 1854 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... His Majesty The Emperor Akihito of Japan The Emperor of Japan (天皇 tennō) is Japans titular head of state and the head of the Japanese Imperial Family. ...

On his way to Japan, Perry anchored off of Keelung in Formosa, known today as Taiwan, for ten days. Perry and crew members landed on Formosa and investigated the potential of mining the coal deposits in that area. He emphasized in his reports that Formosa provided a convenient, mid-way trade location. The island was also very defensible. It could serve as a base for exploration in a similar way as Cuba had done for the Spanish in the Americas. Occupying Formosa could help the US counter European monopolization of the major trade routes. The United States government failed to respond to Perry's proposal to claim sovereignty over Formosa. Keelung (基隆 Pinyin: Jīlóng, Wade-Giles: Chi-lung) is a county-level city of Taiwan Province, Republic of China. ... Taiwan is mostly mountainous in the east, but gradually transitions to gently sloping plains in the west (satellite photo by NASA). ...

Return to the United States, 1855

Upon Perry's return to the United States in 1855, Congress voted to grant him a reward of $20,000 in appreciation of his work in Japan. Perry used part of this money to prepare and publish a report on the expedition in three volumes, titled Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Seas and Japan. 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... The Congress of the United States is the legislative branch of the federal government of the United States of America. ... The China Sea can refer to the: South China Sea, or East China Sea This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Last Years

Perry died three years later on March 4, 1858 in New York City. His remains were removed to the Island Cemetery in Newport, Rhode Island on March 21, 1866, along with those of his daughter, Anna, who died in 1839. Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... A side street in Newport, Rhode Island, showing the historic buildings near the waterfront Newport is a city located in Newport County, Rhode Island. ... 1866 is a common year starting on Monday. ...

Miscellany

Perry's middle name is often misspelled as Galbraith.

Among other mementos, Perry presented Queen Victoria with a breeding pair of Japanese Chin dogs, previously owned only by Japanese nobility. Victoria of the United Kingdom - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ... Country of origin Japan Classification Breed standards (external links) FCI, AKC, ANKC, CKC KC(UK), NZKC, UKC In Japan, there are Inu (犬) (dogs) and there are Chin (狆). ...

Fictional depictions

The story of the opening of Japan was the basis of Stephen Sondheim & John Weidman's Pacific Overtures. Stephen Joshua Sondheim (born March 22, 1930) is an American musical theater lyricist and composer. ... John Weidman is an American librettist. ... Pacific Overtures was an ambitious 1976 musical by Stephen Sondheim, with a libretto by John Weidman, and additional material by Hugh Wheeler, set in 1853 Japan. ...

See also: History of Japan History of Japan Paleolithic Jomon Yayoi Yamato period ---Kofun period ---Asuka period Nara period Heian period Kamakura period Muromachi period Azuchi-Momoyama period ---Nanban period Edo period Meiji period Taisho period Showa period ---Japanese expansionism ---Occupied Japan ---Post-Occupation Japan Heisei Pre-History/The Origin of History Jomon Period Main...

External link

• A short timeline of Perry's life (http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/teach/pearl/kanagawa/friends4.htm)