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

2. West Point The United States Military Academy

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

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

8. Annapolis The United States Naval Academy

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. Sources  http://americanhistory.si.edu/westpoint/ http://americanhistory.si.edu/westpoint/  http://www.usma.edu/wphistory/SitePages/Home.aspx http://www.usma.edu/wphistory/SitePages/Home.aspx  http://www.usma.edu/museum/SitePages/West%20Point.aspx http://www.usma.edu/museum/SitePages/West%20Point.aspx  http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar16.html http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/mar16.html  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thayer_Statue_at_West_Point.JPG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Thayer_Statue_at_West_Point.JPG  http://maps.bpl.org/id/10860?mtid=35 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.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.usna.edu/USNAHistory/  http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h49000/h49813.jpg http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h49000/h49813.jpg  http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/bancroft_george.htm http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/bancroft_george.htm