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| Japan, however, had effectively closed its doors to outsiders, and it restricted foreign ships to a small part of Nagasaki. | |
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| Commodore Matthew C. Perry, commander of the United States naval forces in the China seas, was a staunch expansionist | |
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| Back in 1852 he warned President Fillmore that the British, who had already taken control of Hong Kong and Singapore, would soon control all trade in the area. | |
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| Perry recommended that the United States take "active measures to secure a number of ports of refuge" in Japan. President Fillmore agreed with Perry. | |
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| In 1853 he ordered the Commodore to open negotiations with the Emperor of Japan. | |
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