Alfred Thayer Mahan

Alfred Thayer Mahan
  • "the ablest and most effective apostle of imperialism"
  • wrote The Influence of Sea Power upon History in 1890 with the thesis that great nations were sea power nations with:
    1. productive domestic economy
    2. foreign commerce
    3. strong merchant marine
    4. navy defending trade routes
    5. colonies and naval bases
  • advocated isthmus canal, defensive bases in Caribbean and Pacific, possess Hawaii and "other Pacific islands" - "Americans must now begin to look outward"
  • shipbuilding program raised U.S. Navy to 3rd place in the world
  • Hawaii revolution 1893 and annexed 1898
  • Pago Pago naval station 1878 and protectorate 1899
  • Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines in 1899