Americans used to know this. [qh]

美国人过去知道这一点p@klL+@|2Y_&V3pm-。[qh]

The United States began its life purposefully as a seapower: The Constitution explicitly directed Congress “to provide and maintain a Navy.”[qh]

美国一开始就有目的地成为一个海上强国: 《宪法》明确指示国会“配备并维持一支海军”9TdklJ.y-|uFQTo。[qh]

In contrast, the same article of the Constitution instructed the legislature “to raise and support Armies,” but stipulated that no appropriation for the army “shall be for a longer Term than two Years.” [qh]

相反，《宪法》的同一条款指示立法机关“筹集并供养军队”，但规定军队的拨款“不得超过两年”-)%W&&BYSc~,yVAHvN!。[qh]

The Founders had an aversion to large standing armies.[qh]

美国建国者厌恶庞大的常备军d!58YyNu8]l3!6ZO_。[qh]

George Washington pushed through the Naval Act of 1794, funding the Navy’s original six frigates.[qh]

乔治·华盛顿推动通过了1794年的《海军法案》，为海军最初的六艘护卫舰提供资金sKt0J@%.pfN8。[qh]

(One of these was the famous USS Constitution, “Old Ironsides,” which remains in active commission to this day.)[qh]

(其中之一就是著名的美国“宪法”号风帆护卫舰--“老铁壳”，至今仍在服役~)[(NpB,xtjzbpeZhv9。)[qh]

In his final address to the American people, Washington advocated for a navalist foreign policy, warning against “attachments and entanglements” with foreign powers that might draw the young nation into continental European wars.[qh]

在华盛顿对美国人民的最后一次讲话中，他提倡海军至上主义的外交政策，警告不要“依恋和纠缠”可能会把这个年轻国家卷入欧洲大陆战争的外国势力ZhrI2q*h+=5U%-Ixk1。[qh]

The strategy he advised instead was to protect American trade on the high seas, and advance America’s interests through temporary agreements, not permanent alliances.[qh]

相反，他建议的策略是保护美国在公海的贸易，并通过临时协议而非永久联盟来发展美国的利益RuP7G-llbRu-xL。[qh]

This seapower approach to the world became the sine qua non of early American foreign policy.[qh]

这种对世界的海权方针成为早期美国外交政策的必要条件=NL#^FY)fJ#X。[qh]

In time, conditions changed. The U.S. was preoccupied by sectional conflict and by conquest of the continent. [qh]

随着时间的推移，情况发生了变化5YtV9,@O+5[6Vk.0&l5z。美国的注意力曾集中在地区冲突和征服欧洲大陆上*ksMaHc-l0,.DT9CBWv。[qh]

It turned inward, becoming a continental power. [qh]

美国的注意力转向国内，成为了一个大陆强国NBh(ArUVvaIju[^。[qh]

But by the end of the 19th century, that era had come to a close.[qh]

但到了19世纪末，那个时代已经结束了y,zT8xSL7!4IDz5。[qh]

In 1890, a U.S. Navy captain named Alfred Thayer Mahan published an article in The Atlantic titled “The United States Looking Outward.”[qh]

1890年，美国海军上尉阿尔弗雷德·塞耶·马汉在《大西洋月刊》上发表了一篇题为《美国向外看》的文章[m=rNP4,ZM。[qh]

Mahan argued that, with the closing of the frontier, the United States had in essence become an island nation looking eastward and westward across oceans. [qh]

马汉认为，随着边境的关闭，本质上，美国变成了一个横跨大洋东张西望的岛国aD4P]35K0BjV。[qh]

The nation’s energies should therefore be focused externally: on the seas, on maritime trade, and on a larger role in the world.[qh]

因此，这个国家的精力应该集中在外部: 海洋、海上贸易，以及在世界上发挥更大的作用上1Y7EeaM6wHw.dA,。[qh]

Mahan sought to end the long-standing policy of protectionism for American industries, because they had become strong enough to compete in the global market. [qh]

马汉试图结束长期以来对美国工业的保护主义政策，因为美国工业已经强大到足以在全球市场上竞争3g5FkUxmY,wgh8Zi&^X1。[qh]

By extension, Mahan also sought a larger merchant fleet to carry goods from American factories to foreign lands, and for a larger Navy to protect that merchant fleet. [qh]

此外，马汉还寻求建立一支更大的商船队，将美国工厂的货物运往国外，并建立一支更大的海军来保护这支商船队p6t*Ct2_r-=I.B@T(5y&。[qh]

In a few thousand words, Mahan made a coherent strategic argument that the United States should once again become a true seapower.[qh]

马汉以千字篇幅提出了一个连贯的战略论点，即美国应该再次成为一个真正的海上强国P5Iunvf1vcqBFe。[qh]