In 1890, Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan, a lecturer in naval history and the president of the United States Naval War College, published The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783, a revolutionary analysis of the importance of naval power as a factor in the rise of the British Empire. Two years later, he completed a supplementary volume, The Influence of Sea Power upon the French Revolution and Empire, 1793-1812.

-Milestones: 1866-1898, Office of the Historian,
U.S. Department of State, history.state.gov
(accessed October 31, 2013)

Mahan’s books influenced U.S. efforts to become a world power primarily by —

advocating overseas expansion
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emphasizing the need for protectionist tariffs
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arguing against forming overseas alliances
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demonstrating the political risks of foreign trade