> The U.S., although gaining steam economically (pun intended), was still a backwater, rural, nation isolated by a whole lot of ocean A "backwater"? That force

> The U.S., although gaining steam economically (pun intended), was still a backwater, rural, nation isolated by a whole lot of ocean A "backwater"? That forced the 49th parallel on the british in the 1810s? That took oregon territories from the british in the 1840s? The "backwater" that "took" louisiana territories from france and alaska from the russians? The "backwater" that took texas,california,et al from mexico? The "backwater" that took control over the yangtze river from china in 1854? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_Patrol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_Patrol The "backwater" that forced japan to open in the 1850s? Which no european power, including britain, was able to do? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Expedition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perry_Expedition It wasn't the british navy that dominated the seas mid 1800s. It was american whalers. By the civil war, we had been shitting on the british and the rest of the great powers for decades. Not bad for a "backwater".