Hunter's work focuses on naval/military education, training and recruitment and maritime non-state actors (e.g., pirates and slave traders) and relies heavily on social and economic history. His studies of the United States Naval Academy have shown that it shared the view of adolescence in the West as a separate stage of life. Middle-class America, during the nineteenth century, shared this opinion and wanted their children educated in a safe environment for a future career, such as the Naval Academy. It was also an institution that shared this belief as it professionalized its officer corps and reveals that the United States Navy had a professional culture before the outbreak of the American Civil War.Robinson, Michael D., "review of Society of Gentlemen: Midshipman at the U.S. Naval Academy, 1845-1861, by Hunter, Mark," Civil War Book Review, (Spring 2010).
