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American naval policy in an age of Atlantic warfare: a consensus broken and reforged, 1783-1816

Seiken, Jeffrey

Abstract Details

2007, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, History.
In the 1780s, there was broad agreement among American revolutionaries like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton about the need for a strong national navy. This consensus, however, collapsed as a result of the partisan strife of the 1790s. The Federalist Party embraced the strategic rationale laid out by naval boosters in the previous decade, namely that only a powerful, seagoing battle fleet offered a viable means of defending the nation's vulnerable ports and harbors. Federalists also believed a navy was necessary to protect America's burgeoning trade with overseas markets. Republicans did not dispute the desirability of the Federalist goals, but they disagreed sharply with their political opponents about the wisdom of depending on a navy to achieve these ends. In place of a navy, the Republicans with Jefferson and Madison at the lead championed an altogether different prescription for national security and commercial growth: economic coercion. The Federalists won most of the legislative confrontations of the 1790s. But their very success contributed to the party's decisive defeat in the election of 1800 and the abandonment of their plans to create a strong blue water navy. Republican control of the government enabled Jefferson to implement what he called his “system”: commercial sanctions for deterrence; gunboats, fortifications, and the militia for coastal defense; and the commissioning of privateers and the raising of volunteer armies for offensive warfare. The Jeffersonian system received its trial run from 1807 to 1812 and was ultimately judged a failure. Far from averting war, the use of commercial retaliation escalated the confrontation with Great Britain while also depleting the treasury and leaving the nation poorly prepared for the looming conflict. On the very eve of the war, an influential clique of young Republican politicians argued for the abandonment of Jefferson’s system and the building of a strong fleet. Their endorsement of naval expansion both before and during the War of 1812 proved instrumental in rebuilding a national consensus on the navy that transcended political divisions.
John Guilmartin (Advisor)
328 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Seiken, J. (2007). American naval policy in an age of Atlantic warfare: a consensus broken and reforged, 1783-1816 [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1181667399

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Seiken, Jeffrey. American naval policy in an age of Atlantic warfare: a consensus broken and reforged, 1783-1816. 2007. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1181667399.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Seiken, Jeffrey. "American naval policy in an age of Atlantic warfare: a consensus broken and reforged, 1783-1816." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2007. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1181667399

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)