ABSTRACT
The opponents of naval expansion were irresponsible ideologues who openly rejected the principle of preparedness for the most petty of reasons: economy. Their leader and spokesman, Thomas Jefferson, was prejudiced against a national navy because of his heritage as a planter. Although Jefferson has attracted his share of defenders, few have analyzed the opponents of naval expansion to determine if, they were mere obstructionists, or if they had a positive naval policy of their own. The Antinavalists voted in favour of naval expansion when they perceived a clear danger to American interests. Antinavalists favoured any naval augmentation aimed at meeting specific emergencies while Navalists believed the value of a navy was as great in peacetime as it was in war and that the nation ought therefore to devote itself to a permanent system. Like most Antinavalists, Jefferson was a realistic statesman.
