Gunboats and Empires: The Roots of Naval Policy in Early U.S. History

This book explores how Jeffersonian ideology, shaped by selective readings of European wars, especially the Russo-Turkish War, drove early U.S. naval policy—revealing the power of belief and bias in shaping national defense strategy. Gunboats and Empires reveals how Thomas Jefferson’s naval strategy—favoring small, fast gunboats over a traditional ocean-going fleet—was influenced by Enlightenment ideals and a selective interpretation of European military history. In the years before the War of 1812, Jefferson and his allies looked to the Russo-Turkish War, and especially the 1788 battle of the Liman, as validation of his belief in smallcraft tactics, despite the battle’s contested interpretations and its limited relevance to the American context. Drawing on letters, newspapers, and official records, the book reveals how Jefferson’s strategic vision was shaped not only by military reality but his own political and ideological convictions. This is a story of how leaders use history to confirm their beliefs, a compelling case study of the ways preconceptions and political agendas can influence strategic decision-making—offering lessons that resonate well beyond the early republic.