Description: "Aggressive American overseas commercial expansion is usually identified with the last half of the 19th century, but in this pathbreaking study Schroeder shows that the movement predated the Civil War by two decades. The peacetime role of the navy in antebellum America was consistently defined as the "protection of commerce," but the activities of the navy in fulfilling this role grew from combating pirates, policing smuggling, and performing diplomatic tasks. These included exploring distant regions (especially around the Pacific Ocean), establishing trade relations with new areas (such as Perry's opening of Japan), and producing wind, current, and even whale census charts. Naval officers applauded the expansion of their role and the increase in the size of the navy that accompanied it, but the impetus for change came from the whaling and shipping industries, politicians, and other civilian sources. An important work certain to influence interpretations of 19th-century diplomatic, economic, and naval history. Public and academic libraries, community college level and up." CHOICE

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