An increase of American commerce in the Pacific (which needed protecting), and Americans clamoring for the annexation of Hawaii, were other problems with which the United States had to deal in the 1890s.Įnter Mahan. Furthermore, a Central American canal meant that the heretofore distant Pacific shore of the United States would naturally grow in importance and ease of access Europeans uninterested in the Pacific coast previously might suddenly be interested when they could reach it so easily. As we will see, Mahan frequently pointed out that the advent of a canal in Central America would make the Caribbean assume an international importance it had not held since the days of Columbus. With the possibility of a Central American canal growing greater with every year, it was imperative for the United States to protect its interests. As population boomed and immigration increased, it was now more important than ever to have a real Pacific naval presence. The United States had only reached from “sea-to-shining-sea” shortly before the Civil War. However, the decline of the navy was only one problem the United States faced making sure its coasts were protected was another. The officer took one look at the guns aboard the Wachusett (which was a Civil War era ship and certainly not top of the line, but still representative of a good part of the navy) and commented that “we used to have guns like this.” A stinging blow to the captain of any ship, to be sure. Mahan knew this very acutely while commander of the USS Wachusett, he entertained a visit of a French naval officer then in the area. The United States had allowed its navy following the Civil War to undergo a rapid decline. Some historical context might be necessary for a more complete understanding of Mahan’s influence. The publication of The Influence of Sea Power Upon History, 1660-1783, in 1890, was just the start of Mahan’s work-he followed this with numerous books and articles, influencing some very important people among them were future president Theodore Roosevelt and many foreign naval officers and political leaders, including the German Kaiser, Wilhelm II. It was here that he became the prolific writer we know today it was here at the War College where Mahan made his claim to fame. Mahan agreed, and soon made his way to Rhode Island. Having worked with Mahan in the past, Luce asked Mahan if he would accept a position as professor of naval history. Luce was in the process of creating the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island, in order to provide naval officers with high-level strategic training they might not have otherwise received. It was here that he received the fated letter that led him from naval obscurity into one of the most well-known and influential naval philosophers of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In 1884-85, Mahan was in command of the USS Wachusett off the coast of Chile and Peru to protect American interests during a war between the two nations. Due to his crusading character (for example, he exposed corruption at the New York Naval Yard, much to the chagrin of some of his superiors), Mahan was stationed on a variety of ever more decrepit ships. A dearth of civilian jobs and a rank of Lieutenant Commander (not lightly given up in a military where post-Civil War promotion was scarce) kept Mahan in the navy until his retirement in 1896. After attending the Naval Academy (Class of 1859), basically against his father’s wishes, Mahan served in the American Civil War, largely on blockade duty. These articles were first published between 18 in widely-read magazines.īorn in September 1840 to the famous West Point military theorist and professor Dennis Hart Mahan, Alfred Mahan’s early years seemed to destine him to a life of mediocrity, or, at least, obscurity. While Mahan wrote over one hundred articles, this essay will examine in particular the articles collected in The Interest of America in Sea Power, Present and Future. Although some of his articles and books are less resonant today, they still provide a fascinating glimpse into the state of the world of in the 1890s, shortly before the Spanish-American War, and how it was perceived by many Americans. Concerned with the United States’ place in the world, Mahan wrote to influence both policymakers and common Americans. The philosophy of Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan can be perfectly encapsulated within this quote from his article “The United States Looking Outward” in the December 1890 issue of Atlantic Monthly: “That which I deplore, and which is a sober, just, and reasonable cause of deep national concern, is that the nation neither has nor cares to have its sea frontier so defended, and its navy of such power, as shall suffice, with the advantages of our position, to weigh seriously when inevitable discussions arise.” A prolific writer, Mahan became one of the most famous naval and sea power prophets of the late nineteenth century.
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