Imperialism

How did Alfred T. Mahan’s philosophy on sea power influence U.S. imperialism' Kassandra Gradillas Internal Assessment IB History of the Americas Mr. Fontes 2nd Period October 27, 2009 Word Count:1558 Table of Contents A. Plan of Investigation………………………………………………………….3 B. Summary of Evidence………………………………………………………...3-4 C. Evaluation of Sources…………………………………………………………5 D. Analysis………………………………………………………………………..6 E. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………..6-7 F. Bibliography……………………………………………………………………8 How did Alfred T. Mahan’s philosophy on sea power influence U.S. imperialism' A. Plan of Investigation The investigation assesses the influence of Alfred T. Mahan on U.S. imperialism. In order to evaluate how big of an influence Alfred Mahan was, the investigation evaluates his role on sea power throughout history, and other naval events. Mahan’s role is investigated throughout his position as a naval Captain, and his ideas on the importance of sea power. Written accounts by Mahan himself are mostly used to evaluate the ideas that influenced U.S. imperialism. Two of the sources used in this essay, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, and Mahan on Naval Warfare, both written by Alfred Thayer Mahan are evaluated for their origins, purposes, values and limitations. The investigation mainly focuses on Mahan’s ideas and accounts rather than ideas from other people. B. Summary of Evidence Since the beginning of this country, the United States has always been an imperialist nation. Imperialism is the domination over an undeveloped country socially, politically, and economically. Imperialism affected many countries; such as, China, Africa, and South America. Reasons for imperialism are mostly for military and economic reasons. Many nations wanted to expand their territory, their army, and develop a more successful trade with no limitation. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the United States pursued an aggressive policy of expansionism, extending its political and economic influence around the globe. Captain Alfred T. Mahan, a leading expansionist, cautioned that the Pacific could "be entered and controlled only by a vigorous contest." As head of the Naval War College, Mahan believed that America's survival depended upon a strong navy. He argued that a strong navy would require island possessions to serve as naval bases. “The time had come,” Mahan wrote, “for Americans to turn their eyes outward, instead of inward only, to seek the welfare of the country." Americans needed to find different means of protection, besides their army. In the South Pacific, the American navy negotiated with natives for the rights to build bases on the islands of Midway and Samoa. The Hawaiian Islands, which lie closest to the American mainland, had long been an important stop for the Pacific fleet. Pearl Harbor, on the island of Oahu, offered one of the most attractive natural bases in the Pacific. The Americans built many things and quickly dominated the economy. There were many disputes about who would have control over Hawaii, until the annexation treaty was finally passed and the islands became American territory. While this was happening America went to war with the Spanish. Our military strength was what allowed us to control and take over other countries. Some countries even wanted us to be there just incase they needed military backup. On April 21, 1898, the United States declared war against Spain following the sinking of the Battleship Maine in the Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. When America declared war on Spain, it was for control of Cuba. The U.S. supported the ongoing struggle in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines for independence against Spanish rule. America felt that they themselves were more powerful than Spain, and could rule Cuba in a better way. Other countries began to think that they needed more military strength in order to rise above America. This would be the first war fought overseas by the United States and it involved campaigns in both Cuba and the Philippine Islands. The U.S.' politically dominated other countries during the late 19th century. The U.S. was so far ahead of other countries in their political development and the United States was much better established than many of the other countries. C. Evaluation of Sources The Influence of Sea Power upon History: 1660-1783 is an influential treatise on naval warfare written in 1890 by Alfred Thayer Mahan. It goes into detail about the role of sea power throughout history and discusses the various factors needed to support a strong navy. The Influence of Sea Power upon History was written with the purpose to change people’s perspective towards having a strong navy in order to expand their rule. The book’s values lies in the fact that it provides the perspective straight from Alfred T. Mahan. As well as that the book was what influenced many countries, one of those being the United States to increase their naval power. Its limitations are that while his information is accurate most of his points are his own personal opinions on naval warfare. Opinions cannot be very reliable, but he did publish the book and it contains facts so it is a reliable source. Whereas The Influence of Sea Power upon History was based on naval strategies of all different navies, Mahan on Naval Warfare gives his own first hand account on his experiences on naval warfare. The book covers things such as naval principles, coverage of strategic positions, principles of naval administration, The Battle of Trafalgar, the moral aspect of war, motives for naval power, etc. The accounts written in this book are from when Alfred Thayer Mahan served as a naval officer. The documents in this book are a valuable source because they are primary sources provided by the naval officer himself. Both these books were good primary sources for the investigation. D. Analysis Mahan’s ideas about U.S. imperialism show a great significance in how much he helped set the U.S. with the base for imperialism. Prior to his ideas the U.S. was looking for ways of expansion but could not think of anything successful. When Mahan’s ideas were heard the U.S believed that this was their opportunity for success over seas. The decade of the 1890’s, marked by the Spanish-American War, annexation of the Philippines, and the Open Door Notes, was a crucial period in America diplomatic history. A key to understanding the decade can be found in the writings of a grave, scholarly armchair captain in the United States Navy, Alfred Thayer Mahan. This sailor and prophet constructed a tightly joint historical justification of why and how the United States could expand beyond its continental limits. His writings greatly influenced such expansionists such as Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, John Hay, Benjamin F. Tracy, and Hilary A. Herbert. American historians have defined Mahan’s philosophy as “mercantilist imperialism.” One cannot deny that an concentrated study of seventeenth and eighteenth century mercantile empires heavily influenced Mahan’s thinking. Neither can it be denied that his comments on the merchant marine and trade strikingly resembled the ideas of former mercantilist authors. It may be suggested that by placing Mahan inside the mercantilist context, and then using this context in analyzing Mahan and American expansion in the 1890’s, it is possible to misunderstand both his contributions and American policy. A characterization of Mahan as a strong naval officer shows that he knew all about over seas situations and was the right man to guide the U.S. towards making a strong navy and becoming an imperialist country. Mahan’s writings are still looked back upon today and are the guidelines for naval strategies. E. Conclusion Mahan’s ideas on the importance of sea power influenced navies around the world, and helped prompt naval buildups before World War I. Several ships were named USS Mahan, including the lead vessel of a class of destroyers. His research into naval history led to his most important work, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783, published in 1890. In 1885, he was appointed lecturer in naval history and tactics at the Naval War College. His work influenced the doctrines of every major navy in the interwar period. Mahan's views were shaped by the eighteenth century naval wars between France and Britain, where British naval superiority eventually defeated France, consistently preventing invasion and blockade. Mahan's concept of sea power extended beyond naval superiority; that in peace time, states should increase production and shipping capacities, acquire overseas possessions, yet stressed that the number of coal fuel stations and strategic bases should be few, not to drain too many resources from the mother country. The U.S pursued most of Mahan’s ideas and became focused on becoming a strong imperialist country in order to gain all the land and power they thought was necessary to grow and prosper as a strong and powerful country. The influence of Alfred T. Mahan, the support for a new kind of Manifest Destiny, and the growing economy of the U.S. were all motives for the support of imperialism around the world. “The Influence of Sea Power upon History” was extremely influential during this period of imperialism because its basic message was that in order to have large exports; a country must have a strong, superior navy to protect international commerce. F. Bibliography Alfred T. Mahan. The Influence of Sea Power upon History 1660-1783 Copyright, 1890, by Captain Alfred T. Mahan Alfred T. Mahan. Mahan on Naval Warfare. Little, Brown, and Company 1918 Jeremy Keeshin. Imperialism Identification. http://www.scribd.com/doc/93396/Imperialism-Identification Vincent Ferraro. The Ruth C. Lawson Professor of International Politics Mount Holyoke College http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/protected/alfred.htm 2009 Goodreads Inc. http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/40720.U_S_History