Alfred Thayer Mahan was not only a writer, but also a brilliant American naval strategist and historian who strongly believed, from his observations over the conflicts that arose in Europe during his lifetime, between the different powers, especially conflicts over colonies and the protection of the homeland from attacks by naval forces, that it was really a necessity for any nation to build strong navies to protect not just the homeland but any and all territories belonging to a nation. In this brief excerpt of his, aside from lauding the importance of imperialism in keeping the military forces of a nation, and also the life of a nation, strong, he also emphazises that since the United States does not have colonies, they should still fight to build a naval force worthy to confront those of European powers in order to protect their homeland.
A. Manifest Destiny was the strong belief of Americans, especially philosophers and theorists, on the U.S´s God-given right to expand its territory over any that they wished. This philosophy, from the 19th century, drove the U.S to actions such as the purchase of Louisiana and even conflicts with other nations and the Indian nations. This ideal relates to the one expressed by Mahan in that both support the idea that a country has the right to seek expansion, be it within its borders or on foreign soil, to ensure its wellbeing and protection.
B. Imperialism is the idea that a nation has the right to seek to expand its influence and power over others and to seek new lands, even if these are already established by others. Powers may use military force or other means to acquire said land. This is where colonies come from. In this excerpt of Mahan, the author almost seems to admire the idea of colonization and even thinks that it is a good thing for both the invading and the colonized territory and its people. It also seems as if Mahan does not like the idea that the U.S does not have colonies.
C. One event that took place and that seems to be supported by these ideals of colonization and naval power is the Philippine-American War between 1899 and 1902. This war was fought between the U.S and the Philippiness when the latter was seeking its independence from the United States, who had received the land in the Treaty of Paris, after the war with Spain. This conflict refutes the ideals set forth by imperialism and also by Mahan because aside from the enormous loss of lives and the unnecessary use of resources to retain control over a land that doesn´t rightly belong to the invading force, it denies the rights that people have to govern themselves and choose their government, ideals that were established in the U.S Constitution from the very beginning.
