used his logic to justify building the Panama Canal and seizing Hawaii, transforming the U.S. from an isolated continent into a global superpower. The Legacy
By looking back at the age of sail (1660–1783), Mahan actually predicted the age of steel—and every aircraft carrier patrolling the globe today is, in a way, a ghost of his 1890 theories. The Influence of Sea Power upon History: 1660-1783
Mahan wasn't a hero of the high seas; he was a quiet, bookish instructor at the Naval War College who preferred libraries to gales. But when he published The Influence of Sea Power upon History: 1660-1783 , he didn't just write a history book—he wrote a blueprint for the 20th century. The Big Idea: The Ocean as a Highway used his logic to justify building the Panama
The year was 1890, and the United States Navy was, quite frankly, a mess. While European powers were building steel monsters, American sailors were still scrubbing the decks of rotting wooden ships left over from the Civil War. Then came . Mahan wasn't a hero of the high seas;
