The U.S. Military Academy is one of 5 federal service academies in the country today, alongside
the Naval, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine Academies.
The Military Academy, often called West Point or simply Army, is situated on West Point
along the Hudson River, some 45 miles North of Manhattan Island.
The Academy’s roots go back to the American Revolution when both the British and Americans
became aware of the strategic importance of West Point, with George Washington—then
General of the Continental Army—considering West Point the single most important strategic
position in the country..
Washington’s Army would first occupy the point in January of 1778, restricting the
British Navy from sailing up the Hudson River and ending any attempts to split the colonies
in two.
Fort Arnold, as it was then known, was established at West Point and named after Continental
Army commander and early American war hero Benedict Arnold, who, infamously, would go
on to become the first American traitor, even attempting to sell Fort Arnold to the British.
Before the sale could take place, however, Arnold was found out by the Americans and
the fort would be renamed to Fort Clinton.
As the fort was never occupied by the British, it is now the oldest continuously occupied
post in the United States.
Soldiers would undergo training at West Point as early as 1794, with several influential
American statesmen and soldiers urging the creation of an academic institution serving
to train cadets in military studies—including Henry Knox, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton,
and Washington.
Washington, in fact, had proposed the idea in as early as 1783.
President Jefferson, shortly after his inauguration in 1801, would sign legislation that established
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and later, in 1802, would sign legislation formally
authorizing the academy.
The Academy would graduate its first cadet, Joseph Gardner Swift, in October of 1802.
West Point would lack clear standards and structure until 1817 when Colonel Sylvanus
Thayer, referred to today as ‘the father of the Military Academy’, would take the
office of the superintendent.
Thayer would establish clear academic standards as well as military training, placing an emphasis
on civil engineering.
The Military Academy was the only engineering school in the country from its founding in
1802 to 1819—as a result, much of America’s early railway and roads would be constructed
by West Point graduates.
The Mexican-American war would allow many West Point graduates to prove themselves,
many of which would go on to be Civil War heroes—including Ulysses S. Grant, future
Commanding General of the U.S. Army and 18th President, as well as William Tecumseh Sherman,
future general in the American Army.
Certainly not Civil War heroes but influential nonetheless, Confederate military leaders
Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee would also graduate from West Point and serve in
the Mexican-American war.
As the Civil War broke out, graduates would fill the ranks of both the Union and Confederate
armies, with 294 serving as officers in the American Army and 151 serving for the Confederacy.
Following the Civil War, many technical schools had been established across the country, allowing
West Point to shift its curriculum focus from civil engineering to several other academic
studies.
5 years following the Confederate surrender, the Military Academy would admit Henry Flipper,
from Thomasville, Georgia, who, in 1877, would become the first black cadet to graduate from
the Military Academy.
Entering the 20th century with America’s involvement in both the Spanish-American and
Phillippine-American wars, Congress would increase the size of the Military Academy’s
Corps of Cadets from 481 to 1900.
The First World War would also cause an influx in demand for military officers, causing the
academy to accelerate the graduation of its current classes.
Superintendent MacArthur, after the war, would diversify West Point’s curriculum to include
the humanities and arts and placed a heavier focus on athletics and physical fitness.
As the second World War began, Congress would once again authorize an increase in the Academy’s
Corps of Cadets, increasing to 2,496 in 1942, and classes would once again begin graduating
early.
Countless West Point graduates would serve in the war, including General Dwight D. Eisenhower,
who would lead the European front and later become the 34th President, the aforementioned
General Douglas MacArthur, who would lead the Pacific front, and General Omar Bradley,
who would go on to play a key role in the Korean War.
Nearly 500 West Point men would die during the second World War.
During the next major American conflict, the Korean War, over half of the Army’s leadership
in the war would be Military Academy graduates, with the Class of 1950 graduating a mere two
weeks before the outbreak of the war.
Before American involvement in Vietnam in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson would increase
the size of the Corps of Cadets to 4,417.
Some 333 graduates would die in the Vietnam War.
On May 20th, 1975, Congress would pass legislation that opened West Point for female cadets,
which was signed by President Gerald Ford on October 7th, 1975—with this, the U.S.
Military Academy was open to all Americans.
Today, West Point graduates around 1,000 cadets each year.
The only legal requirements for admission are that candidates must be at least 17 but
younger than 23, U.S. citizens, unmarried, not pregnant, and not legally responsible
for any dependents.
Candidates must also receive an appointment from any of the following: their Congressional
Representative, either of their Senators, the Vice President, or certain military-personnel—along
with a medical exam and a fitness assessment.
On top of this, the academy’s acceptance rate is around 7.7%, meaning admission to
the Military Academy today is extremely competitive.
Today’s cadets are part of a long history, dating back to the beginning of our nation,
and join a long line of leaders, from five-star generals to Presidents.
This is 435American.
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