United States Military Academy

The United States Military Academy is a military academy of the US Army, which is located in West Point, New York. It is commonly referred to simply as "West Point".

President Thomas Jefferson 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. 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).

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.

Academy graduates are awarded a bachelor of science degree and a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. They must serve a minimum of five years on active duty followed by 3 years in the reserves.

West Point's motto is "Duty, Honor, Country".

The Military Academy's sports teams are called The Black Knights of the Hudson, or simply The Black Knights. They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A, as an independent team in football, and in the Patriot League.

Notable Graduates

• Benjamin O. Davis Jr.
• Abner Doubleday
• Ulysses S. Grant
• Robert E. Lee
• Douglas MacArthur
• George Patton
• James Ewell Brown Stuart
• Norman Schwarzkopf

see also United States Naval Academy, United States Air Force Academy

External link

• Official website: http://www.usma.edu/