United States Military Academy

United States Military Academy, institution of higher education for the training of commissioned officers for the United States Army. It was originally founded as a school for the U.S. Corps of Engineers with a class of 5 officers and 10 cadets on March 16, 1802. It is one of the oldest service academies in the world. Framed by the Hudson Highlands and poised above the Hudson River, the academy currently occupies about 16,000 acres (6,000 hectares) in Orange county, New York, 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City.

History

Although the site of West Point had been occupied continuously by troops since 1778, it did not become U.S. government property until 1790, when at the request of its owner, Stephen Moore, Congress appropriated the money for its purchase. Subsequent acquisitions were made from time to time.

At the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, both the colonists and the British had recognized the importance of gaining possession of the Hudson River valley, and West Point became the strategic key to its defense. Gen. George Washington established his headquarters there in 1779. In 1780 Maj. Gen. Benedict Arnold, who was then in command at West Point, attempted to betray it to the British. When Arnold’s treason was discovered, he fled to the enemy, and the fort was saved by the swift intervention of a force under the command of Anthony Wayne.

Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.

SIGN UP

" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">

Thank you for signing up!"

Back to homepage

By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

The founding of an American military school had been proposed by Gen. Henry Knox in 1776, and Washington and Alexander Hamilton repeatedly urged adoption of the plan. During the Revolution, the United States would be forced to rely on foreign military technicians such as Baron von Steuben, and it was clear that the young country needed to develop its own officer corps. Washington, who was himself an engineer, also felt that the mastery of military technology required extended study and could not be acquired by practice alone. It was not until March 16, 1802, however, that Congress passed the act establishing the United States Military Academy at West Point. The academy opened on July 4, 1802. Before 1812 it was conducted as an apprentice school for military engineers and, in effect, as the first U.S. school of engineering. During its early years, however, the institution suffered from lack of proper organization and discipline.

1 of 2

2 of 2

An act of Congress of April 29, 1812, reorganized the academy and increased the authorized strength of the corps of cadets to 250, expanded the staff of the academy, and established a four-year curriculum. This legislative goal was not effective until the superintendency of Col. Sylvanus Thayer (1817–33), who became known as the “father of the military academy” because of his lasting influence upon the West Point physical plant, the library, the curriculum, and the pedagogical method. Under Thayer’s leadership the academy produced military technicians whose skills were adaptable to meet the civil engineering needs for the program of internal improvement that accompanied America’s westward expansion. An act of Congress of July 13, 1866, allowed the selection of a military academy superintendent from branches of the army other than the Corps of Engineers.

Admission and educational program

The academy is under the immediate supervision and control of the Department of the Army, exercised through the superintendent, in whom is vested the immediate military command of the academy and the military post. The goal of the educational program is to instruct and train the corps of cadets so that each graduate will have the qualities and attributes essential to continued development through a lifetime career as an officer in the army. The four-year course of college-level education and training leads to a bachelor of science degree and a commission as second lieutenant in the army. The curriculum is balanced between mathematics and basic and engineering sciences, the humanities and social sciences, military science, and physical education.

Cadets must be at least 17 years of age but not yet 23 at the time of their appointment. In addition, they must be unmarried and have no legal obligation to support children, and females cannot be pregnant. They must have a high-school education or its equivalent and must take scholastic aptitude tests and a medical examination before admission. The great majority of appointments to the academy are made by U.S. senators and representatives. In a typical year, more than 15,000 young men and women apply for admission to West Point. Roughly one-fourth of applicants reach the nomination stage, and half of them are rated as qualified for admission. Fewer than 10 percent of applicants—some 1,200 prospective cadets—are accepted each year. Total enrollment is typically about 4,400. Citizens of more than 150 other countries, if fully qualified, may also be admitted to the academy, although total enrollment of international cadets is capped at 60. Women were first admitted to the academy in 1976.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

The academic year lasts from August to May inclusive. The third class (sophomores) receives extensive field training at the training areas on the academy reservation. The second and first classes (juniors and seniors) obtain supplementary instruction at other army training centres. The second class also takes part in joint amphibious maneuvers with the midshipmen from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. First classmen serve as instructors for the new fourth class (freshmen), which enters the academy in July; they also assist in training the third class.

Notable alumni

West Point has trained most of the great American military commanders since the first half of the 19th century. Among its graduates have been Robert E. Lee (class of 1829), William T. Sherman (1840), James Longstreet (1842), and Ulysses S. Grant (1843). The remarkable class of 1846 graduated Thomas (“Stonewall”) Jackson, George H. Gordon, George McClellan, and George Pickett. Two of the most-gifted cavalry commanders of the American Civil War—Philip Sheridan (1853) and Jeb Stuart (1854)—graduated within a two-year span, and George Armstrong Custer (1861) graduated last in his class just a month before hostilities commenced at Bull Run.

Graduates from the late 19th and early 20th centuries included John J. Pershing (1886), Douglas MacArthur (1903), Henry (“Hap”) Arnold (1907), and George Patton (1909). The class of 1915 came to be known as “the class the stars fell on” because of the extraordinary number of graduates who earned “stars” as generals. Among the 59 generals in this class were Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley, both of whom attained the five-star rank of general of the army. Graduates who saw command in the wars of the late 20th and early 21st centuries included Creighton Abrams (1936), William Westmoreland (1936), Norman Schwarzkopf (1956), Eric Shinseki (1965), David Petraeus (1974), and Stanley McChrystal (1976). West Point graduates who achieved prominence outside the military sphere included astronauts Frank Borman (1950), Buzz Aldrin (1951), Edward White (1952), Michael Collins (1952), and David Scott (1954); AOL cofounder Jim Kimsey (1962); and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski (1969). Prominent international graduates included Anastasio Somoza Debayle (1946), president of Nicaragua, and Fidel Ramos (1950), president of the Philippines.