Word: navale
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Here was a road map for the rest of T.R.'s life, or at least the part of it that would be focused on foreign affairs. In Roosevelt's future naval policies we see the embodiment of Mahan's larger principles. Moreover, this conjuncture of Mahan the theoretician and Roosevelt the man of action arrived at just the right time in the history of the U.S. Its industries were booming, its commerce thriving and its merchants fighting to gain markets overseas in the face of tough foreign competition. All of that pointed to the need for a strong Navy...
...demonstration of that counts among his most famous decisions. By 1897 he was Assistant Secretary of the Navy, a position in which he could act out his ambitions, especially since the Secretary, John D. Long, was a rather sick man and President William McKinley had no great interest in naval matters. On Feb. 15, 1898, when news arrived of the sinking in Havana harbor of the U.S.S. Maine--the event that effectively set off the Spanish-American War--Roosevelt had his opportunity...
...naval war of 1898 provided the nation with a complete justification of Mahan's theories. The firepower of the American battleships had clearly been overwhelming--a great relief to Roosevelt, who had feared voices in Congress calling instead for lots of small, coastal-defense vessels. Most impressive of all was the performance of the new battleship U.S.S. Oregon, which had steamed from San Francisco to Cuba to partake in the final battle. In fact, so enthusiastic was Congress about the importance of the Navy that it authorized the construction of many more battleships and heavy cruisers...
...were Italy and Austria-Hungary in the Mediterranean. The most amazing growth, from virtually nowhere, was that of the Japanese navy in the Far East. And all these growing fleets caused the British to spend unprecedented amounts on the Royal Navy in an effort to maintain its centuries-old naval supremacy. The U.S. could not afford to slacken its pace...
...prevent any foreigners from gaining a concession to build the canal that he wanted the U.S. to build. When the Colombian government turned down a proposed deal for a 100-year lease of territory in its province of Panama, the President threw his weight--and the weight of a naval landing party--in favor of one of the perennial Panamanian uprisings aimed at gaining independence from Colombia. Twelve days after Washington recognized the new nation of Panama, in November 1903, it signed with deep satisfaction a canal treaty with Panama that was identical to the one rejected by Colombia...