The United States Military Academy & The United States Naval AcademySophia Cassum
West PointThe 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
AnnapolisThe 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
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