Commodore Perry's 1853 Japanese Expedition: How Whaling Influenced the Event that Revolutionized Japan

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dc.contributor.authorBurcin, Terryen
dc.contributor.committeechairThorp, Daniel B.en
dc.contributor.committeememberSchneider, Helen M.en
dc.contributor.committeememberDavis, William A.en
dc.contributor.departmentHistoryen
dc.date.accessioned2014-03-14T20:36:37Zen
dc.date.adate2005-05-24en
dc.date.available2014-03-14T20:36:37Zen
dc.date.issued2005-05-05en
dc.date.rdate2005-05-24en
dc.date.sdate2005-05-13en
dc.description.abstractIn July 1853, Commodore Matthew C. Perry illegally entered Tokyo Bay with a fleet of four American warships and challenged Japan's isolationist position towards the United States. This radical diplomatic effort concluded with a return voyage a year later and ended Japan's self-imposed isolation from the Western world. Historians, in an attempt to explain the motivations behind Perry's voyage, cite an American commercial desire for Chinese trade as the main reason behind the Japanese Expedition's dispatch. This historical perspective ignores the important economic and political influence the whaling industry played in spurring American politicians to confront Japanese isolationism. It is incorrect to assert that whaling, and not America's desire to gain access to China, was the main reason behind the 1853 Japanese Expedition. This paper's objective is to understand how whaling influenced Perry's mission. It should be read as a supplement to current historical scholarship concerning America's decision to send a naval force into Japanese waters.en
dc.description.degreeMaster of Artsen
dc.identifier.otheretd-05132005-131722en
dc.identifier.sourceurlhttp://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05132005-131722/en
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10919/32698en
dc.publisherVirginia Techen
dc.relation.haspartMAThesis.pdfen
dc.rightsIn Copyrighten
dc.rights.urihttp://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/en
dc.subjectwhalingen
dc.subjectPerryen
dc.subjectcommerceen
dc.subjectPacific Oceanen
dc.subjectJapanen
dc.titleCommodore Perry's 1853 Japanese Expedition: How Whaling Influenced the Event that Revolutionized Japanen
dc.typeThesisen
thesis.degree.disciplineHistoryen
thesis.degree.grantorVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State Universityen
thesis.degree.levelmastersen
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Artsen

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