Commodore Matthew C. Perry, born April 10th, 1794, is responsible for opening Japan for negotiations with the U.S. in 1853. He led an important role in American history by doing this and should be remembered. Without him Japan would not be the country it is today. The following information will prove why Commodore Matthew Perry should be remembered in American history. Starting with his beginning.

Japan in this time wasn’t open to trade with many countries. They traded only with select groups from The Netherlands and China. This was due to constant attempts by European countries to convert them to Catholicism and unfair trade deals. The U.S saw opportunity in trading with Japan because of its useful position in the Pacific as well as the large amount of coal located in Japan. The coal would be very useful to U.S steam ships, which require large amounts of coal, looking to refuel on their way to China so …show more content…
His task was to set up trade relations with Japan and create a deal in which any shipwrecked American sailors could find refuge in Japan. He sailed into Edo Bay with a letter from the current U.S president Millard Fillmore to the emperor of Japan. At the time, the U.S had no idea that the shogunate were the true rulers of Japan and that the Emperor was just a figurehead, showing how little was really known about Japan at that time. His fleet was armed with advanced weaponry to intimidate the Japanese into compliance. The Japanese had never seen ships so large and advanced sail into Edo Bay. The Japanese anticipated a battle, but the Americans wanted peace. “These people, who seemed to be mandarins of middle rank, with their Dutch interpreters, stated that the Emperor in expectation of our arrival had given orders to receive us in the most friendly manner After letter was delivered, the Americans left Edo Bay, later to return to receive an answer.” The Americans and the Japanese negotiated in a peaceful