In this activity, students will examine the internal and external pressures that led to the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan between 1853 and 1868. They will explore how the arrival of Commodore Perry and the subsequent unequal treaties exposed the weaknesses of the bakufu and accelerated Japan’s transformation into the Meiji era.

It has 12 questions for students to answer, as well as a paragraph response section for them to demonstrate their understanding of the topic.