"The American Sea Power Project" Topic

"American thinking regarding sea power has evolved continually. The first substantial debate about it played out in the 1787 Constitutional Convention, and the participants reached back for its terms to the Marine Committee of the Continental Congress in 1775. The essentials of the argument were self-evident in the framers' mandate that the Congress "shall provide and maintain a Navy." Ever since, politicians, naval leaders, and the broader public have debated the intent of that phrase, how to fulfill its requirements, and with what means to do so. In light of today's national and international challenges, the nation must seize this moment to renew the debate.

President George Washington commissioned the Navy's first six purpose-built frigates to defend U.S. interests, driven by a campaign for active commerce and an insistence on freedom of the seas. These ships served in a series of historic skirmishes and conflicts through the end of the Napoleonic era. But their authorization and building were not foregone conclusions. Rather, they were the subject of intense congressional debate, the terms of which have largely persisted: costs and benefits, honor, and politics. The first president to be a true navalist was James Madison, and his frigate captains used the products…"
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From the U.S. Naval Institute website