USA HISTORY

AMERICAN IMPERIALISM(1890 1919)

THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR

[SOURCES]
How did the writings of Alfred Thayer Mahan encourage United States imperialism?

(A) His articles for popular newspapers condemned Spain on humanitarian grounds for its treatment of the Cuban rebels.

(B) His letters as the Secretary of State during the Spanish-American War persuaded President McKinley to annex territories from Spain.

(C) ** His books demonstrated the importance of obtaining colonies for naval bases, increasing overseas trade, and building a canal in Central America.

(D) His published speeches to the U.S. Senate persuaded public opinion to favor acquiring colonies in order for America to remain an industrial power.

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -His books demonstrated the importance of obtaining colonies for naval bases, increasing overseas trade, and building a canal in Central America.

Concept note-2: -By arguing that sea power-the strength of a nation’s navy-was the key to strong foreign policy, Alfred Thayer Mahan shaped American military planning and helped prompt a worldwide naval race in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Concept note-3: -Strengthening American Sea Power Spurred by the writings of naval historian Alfred Thayer Mahan, author of The Influence of Sea Power upon History, proponents of a “Big Navy” called for state-of-the-art steel ships to protect the nation and its interests.

Concept note-4: -Alfred Mahan justified American imperialism by arguing that the nation needed new markets, and that key to opening those markets was having a strong navy supported by the presence of naval bases throughout the world to supply ships.

Concept note-5: -Who Was Alfred Thayer Mahan? Alfred Thayer Mahan was a late 19th and early 20th century United States Navy officer, an instructor at the Naval War College, author, and naval historian. He is considered America’s foremost naval strategist, advocating for the expansion of the US fleet and a vigorous foreign policy.