Teaching Resources

The 1860 Japanese Embassy to the United States was the first-ever Japanese diplomatic mission to the United States, and the first time samurai visited the US. Americans celebrated, discussed, and critiqued the samurai in different ways. Studying the 1860 Japanese Embassy gives students to explore not only an exciting and surprising encounter in the history of US-Japan relations, but also a lens through which to explore ideas about nationalism, gender, identity, race, and culture that have influenced American history, Japanese history, and US-Japan relations.
 

Below are free lesson plans, guides, and handouts on how to incorporate Civil War Samurai and the history of the 1860 Japanese Embassy in university classrooms.

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Teaching Guides Coming Soon

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- Lesson plan for a 50-minute class (Japanese history focus)

- Lesson plan for a 50-minute class (American history focus)

- Lesson plan for a 20-minute activity in class (Japanese history focus)

- Lesson plan for a 20-minute activity in class (American history focus)

- Homework assignment about the 1860 Japanese Embassy (Japanese history focus)

- Homework assignment about the 1860 Japanese Embassy (American history focus)

- Free video lecture (45 min.) on C-SPAN about the 1860 Japanese Embassy: https://www.c-span.org/program/american-history-tv/samurai-at-the-white-house-1860/669037 

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Original Resources for Students of Japanese Studies

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The following videos may also be helpful to students and scholars of Japan.

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