Recognizing the Power of Commerce

George Bancroft, an American historian and statesman, wrote those words in the mid-19th century when he was prominent in promoting secondary education, both domestically and internationally. During his tenure as U.S. secretary of the Navy, he established the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He was a senior American diplomat in Europe, leading diplomatic missions to Britain and Germany. Among his best-known writings is the magisterial series, History of the United States, from the Discovery of the American Continent.