Thesis
The militarization of the Puget Sound: A gateway to the Pacific, 1880-1900
Washington State University
Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
05/2020
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000004102
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/125304
Abstract
This thesis examines the militarization of the Puget Sound during the nineteenth-century and its connection with an increasingly imperialistic-minded United States. With the construction of the Puget Sound Naval Station beginning in 1891 and the subsequent installation of fortifications guarding the entrance and thereby protecting the naval station and cities of Seattle, Tacoma, and the newly established town of Bremerton, the Puget Sound became a highly valuable asset to the United States. The militarization of this area stemmed from the United States increased "imperial" interest in accessing the Pacific Ocean, and a military complex located in the Pacific Northwest offered the country a location that was closer to Japan and China than any other current naval base. With the Pacific Northwest secured, the United States had facilities along the Pacific coastline which could harbor a modern naval fleet, which was essential to power projection during this time. Initial explorations were conducted by various surveying teams in the first half of the nineteenth-century, and this was coupled with growing interest towards expansion into the Pacific Ocean. The strategic value of the area was well known by 1880, however, due to the massive decline in military spending following the Civil War, implementation of these plans was quite slow. Due to increasing expansionist rhetoric, the need for a modern navy capable of challenging powers such as Great Britain began to take shape by the early 1880's. To go along with a modern navy, the realization of the strategic value of the Puget Sound intensified due to the Endicott Board of 1886 which analyzed the poor state of American coast defenses and the 1888 naval commission tasked with selecting a site in the Pacific Northwest for a new naval station. The location ultimately chosen was Port Orchard, which encompasses modern day Bremerton. With the construction of a modern navy and the Puget Sound's strategic value secured, the region grew into a formidable military complex by 1900. This complex formed a key component of the United States ability to expand into the Pacific Ocean. This complex also allowed for the region to prosper.
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Details
- Title
- The militarization of the Puget Sound
- Creators
- Christopher R. Halderman
- Contributors
- Robert R McCoy (Advisor) - Washington State University, Department of History
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of History
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Arts (MA), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Identifiers
- 99900890786401842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis