At the turn of the nineteenth century, America was defined as a period known as the imperialistic expansion; a time of incorporating policies of military conquests and economics to attain territories necessary to extract resources and extend markets. The United States had expanded from a relatively small thirteen colonies on the eastern seaboard, to a country spanning from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. The participation of the Navy played a key role during this period due to the main line of communication and exploration being sea power, causing them to be a crucial aspect of imperial expansion. .
Two influential Naval Officers who emerged from this time period were Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan and Rear Admiral Stephen B. Luce. Unlike the industrialist and politicians who are recognized for their contributions, Mahan and Luce were intellectual historians who sought to reform the Navy. They are credited for their ability to use educated knowledge and incorporate it into ways that led to further expansion. While Mahan and Luce are both highly regarded for their role during this period, their individual views and contributions cause a significant difference of recognition throughout history.
Alfred T. Mahan was one of the most influential minds during the imperialistic expansion. As a Naval officer in his early years, however, Mahan was highly disliked by his peers; he displayed no outstanding heroic valor, and was referred to as being humorless and vain. According to, Alfred Thayer Mahan: The Reluctant Seaman, written by Donald Lankiewicz, he lacked the crucial skills of being a ship handler and was actually terrified of the sea. These facts alone attributed to him seeing trace amounts of sea time. One would have never imagined that he would create one of the most, if not, influential historical naval works of writing.
In 1884 Mahan was invited to join the staff at the Naval War College by (Commodore at the time) Rear Admiral Stephen B.
