During his first term in office, using the “bully pulpit” of the presidency (a term he coined), President Roosevelt convinced Congress to build ten battleships, four armored cruisers, and seventeen smaller vessels. Naval spending rose nearly 40 percent, surpassing $100 million. It was the largest peacetime naval expansion in American history. By 1906, the United States had more battleships afloat than any other naval power except Britain.
