Louis, did you write this piece yourself or are you quoting someone? two comments: it's implict in the essay but should be made explicit that the turning outward of US (white male) ambitions was in some ways simply the continuation of a trend: immediately after the US conquered the Indians, it turned to conquering new areas. Also, a minor point: one of the reasons for the obsolescence of the US fleet in the 1880s was that after the Civil War there was a period of extreme corruption in which large numbers of "iron clads" had been built that weren't needed at all. This overinvestment -- and the scandal -- discouraged new naval investment for awhile. Jim Devine [EMAIL PROTECTED] & http://clawww.lmu.edu/Departments/ECON/jdevine.html
