The aristocrats (who were part of the Second Estate) were exempt from taxes.
It was the "War Brides Act" that allowed foreign wives of servicemen to enter the U.S. outside of immigration quotas, since this was only seen as fair for those who were serving.
Perry approached Japan in a somewhat threatening manner. He sought after them with a navy vessel at his side and basically told them to open their trade relations or else. =)
This was a mixture of things.
The increase in population from soldiers and influx of immigrants caused the need for more food to be produced and more jobs to be demanded. So farmers started over producing which led to the Dust Bowl and, eventually, the Great Depression.
