The Low-Rodgers Expedition: a study in the foundations of U.S. policy in Korea

Download
Author
George, Douglas Edward
Date
1988-06Advisor
Buss, Claude A.
Second Reader
Olsen, Edward A.
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This thesis reveals the origin and significance of the Low-Rodgers Expedition of 1871 in the evolution of a conscious foreign policy of the United States in East Asia. It deals with the Low-Rodgers Expedition not as an isolated event, but as both an outcome and antecedent of other closely interrelated events in an unbroken time continuum. Concentrating on the fundamental regional issues of the times and the national character and interests of the United States and the Kingdom of Korea, this thesis: (1) Reveals, for the first time, the original 1871 diary of U.S. Minister to China, Frederick Ferdinand Low, and the wealth of new historical data therein: his misgivings and motivations; his plans and failings; and his appreciation for the historical importance of the mission which today bears his name; (2) Provides deeper analysis of the contemporary events bearing on the Low-Rodgers Expedition and gives a deeper appreciation of the obstacles which worked against its success from the very moment of its inception; (3) Shows why misconceptions about the expedition and some peripheral events have remained unchallenged for over a century; and (4) Explains why Low's efforts to open Korea before the 1882 Shufeldt mission failed, yet still played a more important role in the development of U.S. policy in Korea and the opening of Korea to the Western world than has been recognized.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
Should Japan become a normal country?
Yildiz, Ahmet. (Monterey California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2005-12);This thesis evaluates Japanese geopolitical change in the post-Cold War era. It does so by analyzing Japan's history, its foreign policy since 1945, its reasons for becoming a normal country, and the impact of its ... -
Should Japan become a normal country?
Yildiz, Ahmet (Monterey California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2005-12);This thesis evaluates Japanese geopolitical change in the post-Cold War era. It does so by analyzing Japan's history, its foreign policy since 1945, its reasons for becoming a normal country, and the impact of its ... -
Book Review of How Democracies Lose Small Wars by Gil Meron. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2003
Wirtz, James J. (Project Muse, 2003);The title of Gil Merom’s theoretical foray into the small-wars literature is only slightly misleading. His purpose is to explain why militarily powerful democracies fail to achieve their objectives against weaker opponents, ...