United States Military Academy |
- Alternate meanings: West Point
(disambiguation).
The United States Military Academy (commonly West Point, also USMA) is a
military academy and former
fort of the U.S. Army. It
is located in West Point, New York, on the west bank of the Hudson River about 50
miles (80 km) north of New York City, and occupies 16,000 acres (65 km˛) in the Town of Highlands, New York in Orange
County.
Academy graduates are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree
and commissioned Second Lieutenants in the U.S. Army. They must
serve a minimum of five years on active duty followed by 3 years in the reserves.
The Military Academy's sports teams were historically called The Black Knights of the Hudson, but the nickname has been
officially shortened to Black Knights. U.S. sports media use Army as a synonym for the Academy; this usage is
officially endorsed. Army participates in the NCAA's Division I-A as an independent team in
football. It is a member of the Division I Patriot League in most other sports; its hockey program competes in Atlantic Hockey.
West Point's motto is "Duty, Honor, Country." It is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States.
History
The site was selected for the construction of a fort by George
Washington, and the fortifications were designed in 1778 by Thaddeus Kosciuszko. General Washington considered West Point one of
the most important positions on the continent. The high ground above a narrow "s" curve in the Hudson River enabled the Continental Army to control the vital river traffic. He felt that the
British Army could have split the colonies in two if they gained control of
this land.
George Washington quickly realized the need for a national military academy, however his Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
argued that there was no provision in the Constitution which allowed for the creation of a military academy. However, when
Jefferson became president, he signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy on March 16, 1802 and the school opened on July 4 of the same year.
The Superintendent from 1817-1833 was Colonel
Sylvanus Thayer. He is
known as the "father of the Military Academy". He upgraded academic standards, instilled military discipline and emphasized
honorable conduct. Inspired by the French École Polytechnique, Thayer made civil
engineering the foundation of the curriculum. For the first half century, USMA graduates were largely responsible for the
construction of the bulk of the nation's initial railway lines, bridges, harbors and roads.
The development of other technical schools in the US during the post-Civil War period allowed West Point to broaden its
curriculum beyond a strict civil engineering focus.
After World War I, Superintendent Douglas MacArthur sought to further diversify the academic curriculum. In recognition of the physical
demands of modern warfare, MacArthur pushed for major changes in the physical fitness and athletic programs. "Every cadet an
athlete" became an important goal. At the same time, the cadet management of the Honor System, long an unofficial tradition, was
formalized with the creation of the Cadet Honor Committee.
In 1964, President Lyndon
Johnson signed legislation increasing the strength of the Corps of Cadets from 2,529 to 4,417 (more recently reduced to
4,000).
Women were first admitted in 1976.
No classes graduated in 1810 or 1816 and there
were two graduating classes in 1861, 1917, 1918, 1922 and 1943.
In recent decades, the Academy's curricular structure was markedly changed to permit cadets to major in any one of more than a
dozen fields, including a wide range of subjects from the sciences to the humanities.
Notable Graduates
External link
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