This book is a study of the factors and circumstances that lead to the establishment and development of an American Navy, and of the role of sea power in the founding, growth, and independence of the thirteen colonies and the protection and promotion of the national interest at home and abroad in the early years of the Republic. The very existence and prosperity of the colonies, which were created during an era of discovery and international rivalry for the spoils of new worlds, depended on the Royal navy and the merchant vessels of the mother country, a lesson learned by the colonial leaders as they sought a 'redress of wrongs' and then assumed leadership of a sovereign nation in the midst of a hostile and volatile world. The author of this book stresses the political, economic, and ideological considerations that motivated the colonial and national leaders as they conceived and implemented a concept of sea power.