Mr. Borrero

Global History 3

Evander Childs High School

The effect of globalization on Japan during the mid-1800s

Introduction:

Imagine it is 1854. You have just noticed two ships, the USS Susquehanna and USS Mississippi off of the Uraga shore in your native Japan. You are familiar with this flotilla. It is part of Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry’s naval crew en route to Japan from the United States. It is their second journey to Japan in two years. Their first journey caused an intense debate within the advisory counsel to the Shogun. You remember that the negotiations that followed the arrival of the USS Powhatan in 1853 did not go very well. The Japanese Emperor, Shogun and many important Princes were reluctant to accept the terms outlined in US President Millard Fillmore’s letter. This time, you know the US naval officers led by Commodore Perry will do everything possible to obtain permission to use Japan as a “coal refueling” station for US Navy ships in the Pacific, guarantee good treatment for any shipwrecked sailors on US commercial fishing vessels and perhaps most importantly, to open up trade with Japan. As you observe the ships arriving on the horizon, you wonder to yourself, how should Japan respond to this new challenge from the West?

Japan had been isolated from the rest of the world since the 1600’s when the Tokugawa Shogunate took control. A Shogun was a military leader in Japan. Although the Emperor was the formal head of Japan, real power was held by the Shogun. The Tokugawa Shogunate, or dynasty of Shoguns, controlled Japan for about 200 years. After taking power, the Tokugawas quickly replaced all the feudal lords with friends and allies. To maintain power, each one had to spend one year in the capital every two years so the Shogun could keep an eye on them. In addition, the Tokugawa’s did not allow any Europeans into Japan except the Dutch who were allowed to land a ship every year.

There were some in Japan that disagreed with the way the Tokugawa Shogunate ruled. They felt that this forced isolation was making Japan vulnerable and would eventually allow other modern countries to overpower Japan. These people believed that only by promoting contacts with the Western, i.e. European countries and the United States, would Japan be able to modernize and thus be able to defend itself. Still, more traditionalists believed that more contacts with the West would undermine Japanese culture and traditions and eventually lead to the destruction of the Japanese way of life. Many social problems emerged as a result of this debate within Japan over how to respond to political, economic and cultural contacts with other nations, or what we today call “Globalization”. You are now present at the court of the Shogun. It is 1854. Your job is of tremendous historical importance. You must give the Shogun advice on how to respond to this historical turning point!

Task:

Written Assignment

You are a trusted advisor to the Shogun. He has summoned you to his quarters and has asked you to prepare a document in which you outline several reasons for or against ‘opening’ up to the West. The Shogun asks you to think seriously about the future of Japan as well as how Western expansion has impacted other parts of the world, e.g. China, India and Africa. Your document should be brief (about one page), but justify your opinions on the issue.

Next, you are to research what really took place as a result of Commodore Perry’s expeditions to Japan and how these contacts resulted in revolutionary changes in Japanese society. In a follow-up document, explain whether or not your advice to the Shogun was justified or not. In other words, compare your predictions of what would happen with what really did by analyzing whether the eventual ‘opening’ up of Japan was a positive or negative thing from today’s historical vantage point? This follow-up document should also be brief (about one page).

Oral Presentation

Finally, you will make an oral presentation in which you explain your advice to the Shogun as well as your comparative analysis. During this presentation, be prepared to discuss your opinions with your classmates.

Process:

Use the Global History Public Policy Analyst or GHPPA to guide you through the process of completing your task. The GHPPA is an easy 5 step guide that will help you identify the problems that existed in Japan, gather evidence related to these problems, determine the causes of the problems, evaluate the policy for solving them, and finally compare the policies with other similar situations. To use the GHPPA, read EACH section and complete the accompanying worksheets.

To start this process, simply click onto the LINKS below each step and answer the questions.

Step one: Identifying the problem:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet1gh.doc

Step two: Gathering evidence:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet2gh.doc

Step three: Determine the causes of the problem:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet3gh.doc

Step four: Evaluate policy:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet4gh.doc

Step five: Do a comparative analysis:

http://www.maxwell.syr.edu/plegal/PPA/worksheet5gh.doc .

You will use the information gathered on the worksheets to complete the web quest “task”.

Resources:

In order to obtain information on Commodore Perry’s expeditions for your project, visit some of the following websites:

1. http://www.japan-society.org/commodoreperry.html

2. http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/teach/ends/opening.htm

3. http://www.grifworld.com/perryhome.html

4. http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1854Perry-japan1.html

5. http://members.tripod.com/~MickMc/perry.html

To learn more about the problems within the Tokugawa Shogunate and the rise of the Meiji Restoration, visit some of these websites:

1. http://www.thecorner.org/hists/japan/meiji1.htm# Introduction

2. http://www.japan-101.com/history/history_tokugawa_shogunate.htm

3. http://travel.yahoo.com/p-travelguide-753878-japan_the_tokugawa_shogunate_1600_1868-i

Finally, to learn about some of the changes that took place during the Meiji Restoration, visit some of these websites:

1. http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2130.html

2. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/japan/japanworkbook/modernhist/meiji.html

3. http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/history/A0832538.html

4. http://www.ox.compsoc.net/~gemini/simons/historyweb/meiji-resto.html

You can also use one of the following search engines to find out more information related to your project:

1. www.google.com

2. www.yahoo.com

3. www.msn.com

Evaluation:

Each student will be graded according to the following simple table:

Performance	Needs Improvement 1	Satisfactory 2	Good 3	Excellent 4
Completion of Worksheets 1 – 5 related to the Process (Fully understood the social problem, its causes, and public policy that arose from it)
Completion of both written documents(Comprehensively analyzed the social problem existing in Japan, explained the policy solutions, and subsequently evaluated the suggested solutions by comparing them with real historical examples)
Oral Presentation (Communicated facts and ideas clearly, enhanced presentation with visuals, answered questions arising from group discussion.)

A= 10-12 POINTS B=7-9 POINTS C= 4-6 POINTS F=BELOW 3

Standards

IN CONFORMANCE WITH SOCIAL STUDIES STANDARDS, STUDENTS WILL:

1. use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

2. study of the major social, political, cultural, and religious developments in world history while learning about the important roles and contributions of individuals and groups.

3. use the skills of historical analysis to explain the importance of historical evidence, and understand the concepts of change and continuity over time.

IN COMFORMANCE WITH ELA STANDARDS, STUDENTS WILL:

1. read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding. As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas, discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

2. read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation. As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences, ideas, information and issues.

Conclusion:

At the end of this webquest, you should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the problems faced by Japanese leaders during the middle of the 1800s when Western countries like the United States began to commercially expand in Asia. You should also be able to connect the policy options to these problems and evaluate these responses. Finally, you should be able to analyze modern day problems caused by ‘globalization’ as well as the policy options and responses developed in our present day and age.