The United States Military Academy & The United States Naval Academy

The United States Military Academy & The United States Naval Academy Sophia Cassum

West Point The United States Military Academy

Basic Facts • The idea for a military educational facility in America was first proposed by George Washington in 1783 • Founded in 1802 through legislation signed by President Thomas Jefferson • Located 50 miles north of Manhattan along the Hudson River

Role in the Revolutionary War • Strategic location on the Hudson River’s west bank • Headquarters of George Washington in 1779 • Heavily fortified in order to control travel along the Hudson River • Washington’s original proposal was met with resistance by critics who feared that such an institution would create a military elite

The Early Developments • Initially troubled by internal conflict and a lack of a mission • In 1817, Sylvanus Thayer (right) is appointed superintendent and serves until 1833 • Pursued goal of building West Point into America’s national engineering school • Focused on high standards for students personally and academically

Academics • Students took a course load that balances engineering and technical studies with officer training • All students took the same classes while in school • After graduation, the students at the top of the class would pursue engineering, while other graduates would enter the lower-ranking branches

The Plain at West Point, 1828 engraved from a painting by George Catlin

Annapolis The United States Naval Academy

U.S. Naval History • The United States needed to build a navy to compete with the force of the Royal Navy • The 1785 Congress restrained the navy, citing economic necessity • In 1794, George Washington convinced Congress to allow the pursuit of a reinvented naval branch of the military • In 1797, the first ships of the reestablished U.S. Navy launched • In 1825, President John Quincy Adams encouraged the establishment of a naval academy

The U.S.N.A. • Located in Annapolis, Maryland • Preceded by the Philadelphia Naval Asylum School • On October 10, 1845, Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft (right) established the Naval School • The Naval School was renamed the United States Naval Academy in 1850

Academics • Students were required to study in the academy for four years • During the summers, students were expected to train and get on-board experience • Courses included military and boating instruction, such as gunnery and navigation, in addition to the social and natural sciences, French, and English

Sources • http://americanhistory.si.edu/westpoint/ • http://www.usma.edu/wphistory/SitePages/Home.aspx • http://www.usma.edu/museum/SitePages/West%20Point.aspx • http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar16.html • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thayer_Statue_at_West_Point.JPG • http://maps.bpl.org/id/10860?mtid=35 • http://www.maa.org/publications/periodicals/convergence/mathematics-education-at-west-point-the-first-hundred-years-sylvanus-thayer-and-the-new-academy • http://www.usna.edu/USNAHistory/ • http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h49000/h49813.jpg • http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/bancroft_george.htm

The United States Military Academy & The United States Naval Academy