Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry was a Commodore in the United States Navy who played a decisive role in opening Japan to the West. In 1853, he commanded a fleet of steamships into Edo Bay, delivering a presidential letter demanding trade access, protection for shipwrecked sailors, and coaling stations. Returning with increased military force in 1854, Perry leveraged gunboat diplomacy to compel the Tokugawa shogunate into signing the Convention of Kanagawa. This historic agreement ended Japan's two centuries of national isolation, triggering profound political shifts that culminated in the Meiji Restoration and rapid modernization.

Timeline

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Element

Year	Matthew Perry
1794	Birth of Matthew Perry (Period: April 10, 1794, Location: Newport, Rhode Island, United States)
1809	Enlistment in the United States Navy (Matthew Perry, Age: 14 years old, Period: January 1809, Location: Newport, Rhode Island, United States.)
1811	Engagement with the USS Little Belt (Age: 17 years old, Period: May 16, 1811, Location: North Atlantic, off the US East Coast.)
1812	War of 1812 (Age: 17 years old, Period: 1812 – 1815, Location: Eastern North America and the Atlantic / North American coast.)
1814	Marriage (Matthew Perry, Jane Slidell, Age: 20 years old, Period: December 24, 1814, Location: Said to be in New York, United States, but the specific location of the wedding cannot be confirmed.)
1820	Naval support for the Liberia colonization project (Age: 25 years old, Period: 1820 – 1821, Location: West African coast, current Liberia.) Anti-slave trade patrol operations (Age: 25 years old, Period: 1820s – 1840s, Location: West African coast, Atlantic.)
1821	First independent naval command (Matthew Perry, Age: 26 years old, Period: 1821, Location: United States and West African coast.)
1833	Campaign for the establishment of naval educational institutions (Matthew Perry, Age: 38 years old, Period: From 1833 onwards, Location: New York, United States.)
1838	Command of the steam warship Fulton II (Matthew Perry, Age: 43 years old, Period: 1838 – 1840, Location: Around New York, United States.)
1843	Appointment as Commander of the Africa Squadron (Matthew Perry, Age: 48 years old, Period: 1843 – 1844, Location: West African coast, Atlantic.)
1845	Involvement in the development of the educational system at the United States Naval Academy (Matthew Perry, Age: 50 years old, Period: 1845, Location: Annapolis, Maryland, United States.)
1846	Mexican-American War (Age: 51 years old, Period: 1846 – 1848, Location: Gulf Coast, Tabasco State, Veracruz State in eastern Mexico, etc.) Fleet command in the Mexican-American War (Matthew Perry, Age: 51 years old, Period: 1846 – 1848, Location: Eastern coast of Mexico, Gulf of Mexico.)
1850	Planning of the Japan Expedition and appointment as Commander of the East India Squadron (Matthew Perry, Age: 55 years old, Period: 1850 – 1852, Location: United States, East Asia and Pacific region.)
1852	Execution of the Japan Expedition (Age: 58 years old, Period: November 1852 – July 1854, Location: Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, China coast, Japan, Ryukyu.)
1853	Perry Expedition to Japan (Age: 59 years old, Period: July 8 – 14, 1853, Location: Uraga offing / Kurihama (current Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture), Japan.)
1854	Conclusion of the Treaty of Kanagawa (Age: 59 years old, Period: March 31, 1854, Location: Kanagawa (around current Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture), Japan.) Conclusion of the Treaty of Peace and Amity between the United States and the Ryukyu Kingdom (Age: 60 years old, Period: July 11, 1854, Location: Ryukyu Kingdom, Naha.)
1856	Publication of the Narrative of the Expedition to Japan (Age: 61 years old, Period: 1856, Location: United States.)
1866	Death of Matthew Perry (Age: 71 years old, Period: Died on March 4, 1858, in New York City, United States. In 1866, his remains were reinterred at Island Cemetery in his hometown of Newport.) Death and reburial in Newport (Age: 71 years old, Period: March 4, 1858, March 21, 1866, Location: New York City, Rhode Island, Newport (New York City, Newport, Rhode Island).)

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Category
Element

Asia World

Group	List
The Qing Dynasty Court	Qianlong Emperor Jiaqing Emperor Daoguang Emperor Xianfeng Emperor Tongzhi Emperor Guangxu Emperor Xuantong Emperor Puyi Empress Dowager Cixi Prince Gong Prince Chun Zaifeng
First Sino-Japanese War	Yamagata Aritomo Oyama Iwao Togo Heihachiro Nogi Maresuke Kodama Gentaro Ito Sukeyuki Kabayama Sukenori Komura Jutaro Katsura Taro Terauchi Masatake Emperor Meiji
East Asian expansion	William Amherst George Macartney Charles Elliot Henry Pottinger Matthew Perry Townsend Harris James Bruce Charles Gordon Robert Hart William Howard Russell

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Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry

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