Commodore Perry
Some of the most wonderfully amusing figures in history are the most obnoxious. Perry is celebrated on both sides of the Pacific for his great deed in quote-unquote "opening" Japan.
But, from what little I understand of his biography, he was actually quite an ass. Firstly, he didn't want to go to Japan in the first place. Secondly, well, gunboat diplomacy. But I don't know if we can really blame him for that, so much as the time, the culture, etc... Though, his orders were, if I remember correctly, something along the lines of using force as a last resort, or being ordered not to use force at all, but to handle negotiations with the Japanese peacefully. Something like that.
In any case, while I'm not as knowledgeable about the fine details of the events of Perry's activities in Japan, I can say that while in Ryukyu just shortly prior, he presented himself as a right asshole, insisting upon seeing the king despite being refused numerous times (the king was, in fact, far too young to be meeting with anyone); he physically forced his way into Shuri Castle, only to find (of course) that the king was nowhere to be found - the regent met him there, to say, essentially, "okay, now that you've busted your way in, now what? The king's not here. Will you meet with me, or what?" ... And, at the end of everything, he demanded gifts (tribute, really) from the kingdom, taking, among other things, a 400-or-so-year-old temple bell, a real historical treasure, and bringing it back to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, where it would be rung at football games up until the 1980s or so, when it was finally returned to Okinawa.
So, yeah. Perry's a great guy. A great guy to study, anyway. Wonderful, hilarious, incredible anecdotes. He'll make a great guy to talk about to my intro history students.
Sets a good example for Gen. MacArthur, roughly a century later, to also show up to Japan and act like a right asshole.
Commodore Perry
Some of the most wonderfully amusing figures in history are the most obnoxious. Perry is celebrated on both sides of the Pacific for his great deed in quote-unquote "opening" Japan.
But, from what little I understand of his biography, he was actually quite an ass. Firstly, he didn't want to go to Japan in the first place. Secondly, well, gunboat diplomacy. But I don't know if we can really blame him for that, so much as the time, the culture, etc... Though, his orders were, if I remember correctly, something along the lines of using force as a last resort, or being ordered not to use force at all, but to handle negotiations with the Japanese peacefully. Something like that.
In any case, while I'm not as knowledgeable about the fine details of the events of Perry's activities in Japan, I can say that while in Ryukyu just shortly prior, he presented himself as a right asshole, insisting upon seeing the king despite being refused numerous times (the king was, in fact, far too young to be meeting with anyone); he physically forced his way into Shuri Castle, only to find (of course) that the king was nowhere to be found - the regent met him there, to say, essentially, "okay, now that you've busted your way in, now what? The king's not here. Will you meet with me, or what?" ... And, at the end of everything, he demanded gifts (tribute, really) from the kingdom, taking, among other things, a 400-or-so-year-old temple bell, a real historical treasure, and bringing it back to the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, where it would be rung at football games up until the 1980s or so, when it was finally returned to Okinawa.
So, yeah. Perry's a great guy. A great guy to study, anyway. Wonderful, hilarious, incredible anecdotes. He'll make a great guy to talk about to my intro history students.
Sets a good example for Gen. MacArthur, roughly a century later, to also show up to Japan and act like a right asshole.