Alfred Thayer Mahan Influence

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After the Civil war, America was in dire need of unification of a divided nation. The age of imperialism was the first major event to take place that help unify america as one. There were many ways that the United States of America went about expanding its power but the ideas and beliefs of Alfred Thayer Mahan would play a huge role in doing so. Upbringing Alfred Thayer Mahan was born on September 27, 1840 in West Point New York. He graduated second in his class at the United States Naval Academy in 1859. Soon after his graduation, Mahan was called to serve in the Civil War for the United States Union. Through hard work and dedication, Mahan was able to reach the rank 0-6 Commander. During his service he served on many ships including USS…show more content…
During this time period there were many new naval technological advances that were being invented. This book was read across the world and inspired many countries along with their navies. One of the people that Mahan’s book had a profound influence on was President Theodore Roosevelt who was a huge supporter if the United States Navy. Many of the actions that Roosevelt took during his presidency to strengthen naval dominance was influenced by Alfred Thayer Mahan. “The history of sea power is largely, though by no means solely, a narrative of contests between nations, of mutual rivalries, of violence frequently culminating in war. The profound influence of sea commerce upon the wealth and strength of countries was clearly seen long before the true principles which governed its growth and prosperity were detected. To secure to one's own people a disproportionate share of such benefits, every effort was made to exclude others, either by the peaceful legislative methods of monopoly or prohibitory regulations, or, when these failed, by direct violence.”(Mahan, 1890, p. 1). President Theodore Roosevelt utilized Mahan’s naval strategies and proved to the world that the United States was a force to be reckoned
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