Final answer:
Captain Alfred T. Mahan argued that the well-being of a nation depended on its naval power, which was essential for protecting trade, acquiring colonies for resources and markets, and establishing global naval bases and a canal for faster naval movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Captain Alfred T. Mahan, a significant naval theorist and historian, believed that the well-being of a nation depended on its naval power. In his groundbreaking work, The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783 (1890), Mahan articulated that sea power was crucial to a country's dominance and economic prosperity. According to Mahan, naval strength was imperative for protecting trade routes, acquiring and safeguarding colonies that offered strategic naval bases, markets for goods, and essential raw materials.
To achieve a robust American empire, Mahan argued for a modern navy with fast battleships, a network of global naval bases, and a canal across Central America to facilitate quicker naval travel between oceans. These recommendations profoundly impacted future policy makers, including Theodore Roosevelt, and played a key role in the expansion of the U.S. Navy, proclaiming the United States as a formidable naval power by the end of the 1890s. Mahan's emphasis on a strong navy outlines his belief in its fundamental role in a nation's strategic success and economic growth.