THE ARTS
A U. S.S. Iowa, c. 1900
By the end of the 1800s, Americans began to think in terms of a different and broader Manifest Des
Tiny. The original concept was changed to include overseas as well as westward expansion. The idea that
It was the fate of the United States to extend its boundaries beyond the seas has been called the new Manifest Destiny.
The change in attitude toward foreign affairs was due to certain ideas and developments that occurred in the late 1800s. One such development was imperialism. Nations began to establish empires around the globe to build important new sources of raw materials and provide new avenues for investment.
More justification for imperialism was provided by Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan. Mahan believed that for a country to become a major sea power, its ships needed remote sources of supplies that could not be carried for an entire voyage. While commercial shipping required these supply stations, an armed navy needed them even more. The supplies, according to Mahan, were "first, fuel; second, ammunition; last of all, food."
Fuel became essential to shipping as nations switched from sail to steam power at the turn of the century. No ship could steam away from its home port for any great distance without refueling. A fleet that wanted to trade or fight very far beyond its home waters needed coaling stations in distant lands.
Mahan did not favor unchecked expansionism. Too many supply and fueling bases in foreign lands, he warned, could drain the resources of the parent country and could become "a source of weakness, multiplying exposed points, and entailing division of force."
The United States had made some strides earlier in the century. One of these was the development of ironclad ships during the Civil War. However, after the war, the United States allowed its navy to deteriorate.
Mahan's ideas provided a real impetus for change. Influenced by Mahan's concepts, Congress passed the Naval Act of 1890, which appropriated additional money for battleships. By 1900 the United States had the naval power it needed to back up an expanded role in foreign affairs.
Making the Science Connection
1. What supplies did coaling stations provide?
2. How did new technology influence American foreign policy?
3. What was the danger of having too many supply and fueling bases?
SECTION 2
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World History
