Primary Source Document
with Questions (DBQs)
AND U.S.
ENT MILLARD F{LLPI~ORE
LETTERS FROflh U.S. PRESID
R OF
W C. PERRY TO THE EMPERO
NAVY COMMODORE MATTHE
JAPAN (1852-1853)
(~troduction
Questions:
T.
2.
Fiilmore's letter?
No rr would you descri~ae the korte of President
has dispatched ?erry "vaith a
Why does the president mention that he
E~~UI S({~3af00°?
DONi
would you respond to this letter?
3. If you were the emperor of Japan, how
Japanese seclusion policy to
How would you explain and justify the
President Fillmore?
e~ ~gat~s of As~xesica,
F:ntr I??i~lard Filiino,~e, I'resider~f ~f tie Linif
cf Japan
to His Imperial MajesEy, the Emperor
mioveniG~er 43, 1852
PEra~y, an
pu1~1_ic teeter (~y Commc~dorc Matthew C.
GRI3AT and Good T^~~iend: I send ion this
tkle squadron
of the United States, and coiz~ma4lder of
ofEiccr of the highest ra~~k in the navy
lta„ ~>~citin~ t
.
r :mpfl„,1 ,naiCSY,v's dolTlillion5
t~i11 E2,e
e }~o~rs inlpeiial majesty fiat I entc°i
I t1~ve directed Commodore Pony (~~ assur
ntllcr object
pe~'son a~1ci government, and t12at I Rave i10
]coldest fP~linea towarcle your majesCy's
d St~~tes and
os~ Cu your imperial majesty that the Unite
in wilding him to Japan but to piol~
comtneccial intercows~ with each ~thex.
Japan should Live in fi~iendship and have
Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) on
LETTERS FROM U.S. PRESIDENT MILLRRD FILIMORE AND
U.S. NAVY COMMODORE MATTHEW C. PERRY TO THE EMPERdR OF JAPAN (1852-1853)
The Constitution and laws of H1e United SYAtes [oxbid all intexfecena with the religious
to aLstain
oc poLtical concerns of other nations. I Have pai~ticalarly charged Coinmador~e Perr~r
majesty's
fr~oin every ace which could possibl}~ diseurb H1e tranquility of your imperial
dominions.
The United States of Amezica reach Erom ocean t~ ocean, and our T~rrit~cy of O~~egon
E~ur
and State of CaLitgrnia lie directly opposite to the c~omrnions t>[ ynur inzperiaL Enajesty.
steat~iships can go from California to J~pait ict eighteen days.
year,
Our great Sfate of California produces abc~uf sixty millians of d~rtlars in bold every
rich
besides siiveF~, quicksitv~r, r.recious stones, at2ci many otI~er aaltiiablc artictcs. Japan is aisc~ a
subjects
and fertile counhy, znd produces many very valuable articles. Ypur imperial majesty's
each
are skilled in manf~ ~f the arts. I am desirous that our t~a~ cou~~tries should trade with
oEher, for EV2e benefit bokh cif Japan and the United Stites.
of
We know that fhe ancienf la~a~s of your iznperiat majesty's goverruneiiC do nut atlocv
and
foreign trade, except with the Chinese and fhe Dutch; bur ~s the state of the ~a~orld changes
Z"here
new' governments are foemeci, it _eems to be ti4~ise, From 5m~ to tzme, to make ne~v la:vs.
was 1 time when the ancient laws of your imperial majesty's government were first made.
Eirst
About tl~e same trine America, which is sometimes called the New Woi1d, was
fliey
and
~~a>ople,
few
but
a
discovered anti settled by Hie Europeans. Fc~r a long time them were
extensive; and they
is
very
their
commerce
numerous,
were poor. They have now become gixite
trade
a
Chink that if your iznperiai majesty were so far to change the ancient laws as to allow 6~ee
1etween the two countries it would be extremely beneEiciel t~ both.
If yotu~ imperial n~ajesfy is noe satisfied fllat tt wqu(d be safe altc~getller tc~ aL7rogate tl~e
as to
ancient laws which Eorliid foreign trade, they might be sus~~end~~d fox Eivc or t~r~~ years, sc~
be
try the experiment If it does not prove as bei~e6cial as was hoed, the ancient laws can
then
restored. The United States oftei2 limit their lreeties with foreign states to a few years, and
renew tl2ein or not, as ehey please.
I I~ia«e directed Colninoetore Perry t~ neei~ifiori anoEhcr ttiin~ ro your itnperiai n~iajesty.
Many of our ;hips pass t~~~ry year fz~ont C~Jifnz't~ia En Chia; a~tc3 ~r~eat n~~i~~bers <~[ oi~r people
purst.iF the wha1~ Eis[1ez'y near the shores of Japan. Tt same iincs happens, is1 storztty vaeattter,
EI1at one of our ships is wrecked on jour iin~erial n~a}~st-y's shores. Ln a1t sur1~ cWises wit .isk, end
expect, thae our unfortunate people should be treated ti:ith kiz2dness, and that their ~ro~erty~
should be ~rofected, ti1L we can send a vessel and bcin~ them sway. We are very much in
earnest in flits.
1' tq f4it?' LR~xSm..i ~. a1 mtii'''S f~.~ t}l~f `NE'
COITllYlOC~nLP_ PPPI'~/ lS df50 E{iTf,'Cf2({ ~7V p'~P f0 !'E ~~71CSa11
tiiiderctasid t[iere is a great abundance of ~~ai unit ~i~ovisions uc t1~e i~impire of Japan. ~u5
steamships, in ~:ross;ng flee gPeaE i;cezn, You-n s gz~e~t cfca( of coal, aitd it is nut c~>ilv~ni~nh ~o
~,r;ng it a'.1 d~ ~ ~,vay frgm /~mericn. We wish that our 5teatt1s11ips aitd other vessels should be
allowed to stop in Ja}~an and supply themselves with ~~oal, pKgvisions, and water. They will pay
Eoi them in money, or anything else yow~ imp~rizl inajesfy s subjects play prefer; an<{ we
Asia far Ed uc~tors I Cnlurn6ia University I IzYtn:{/afeeasia.coluntbia.eciu
Page 7_ o.6
Primary Source Document with Questions (DBQs) on
LETTERS FROM U.S. PRESIDENT MILLARD FILLMORE AND
U.S. NAVY COMMODORE MAl'TtiEW G PERRY TO THE
EMPEROR OF JAPAN (1852-7853)
~~equest your im}~erial majesty to appoinP a convenisi~tt port,
in the sc~uYt~ern part of the empire,
lvhere ot~r vessets may step for t1~is purpose. irJe aie
ceiy c3c.sirous of flus.
Thee are the only objects Eor w}~i~h I have s~i1t Commo
dore Perry, with a ~owerhil
squadron, to pay a visiE ire yotizr i~nperiat majesty's renows
ied city of Edo:(ri~ndship, con2i~nerce,
a supply of ~~~oal and prtrviSlons, and protEc~ion Eor
our shipwrEcked ~eopie.
We hive direcEed Commgdere ferry to beb your
imperial majesty's acceptance of a few
presents. Tfiey are of na great value in ihe:mselves; but
same c>f Ehem inay serve as specimens of
the articles manuFacturect in the Uizitec3 States, and
they <1re inC~ended as tokens of cur sincere
anc'i respectful friendship.
May the AIix~iglt€y Have your imperial majesty in
His breat anct holy kee~inb!
In witness whereof, F have causes( the grnat seat <7f
tl~e United States to be hereunto
a;fixed, and have subscribed the same ~ti~ifli my name,
at the city of Washington, in America, the
seat of my government, on the thirteenth day
of the mnnflz of November, in the year one
thousand eightllundred and fifty-hvo.
(Beni aftnched]
Your good fi'iend,
Millard Fillmore
By the PresidEnt:
P,d~Na~~d Everett, Secretary of State