The Quasi-War and the Origins of the Modern Navy and Marine Corps

Abstract

The period 1797-1801 encompasses several significant firsts for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, yet most historical attention on the services origin stories has emphasized the earlier actions of the Continental Navy and Marine Corps. During the Adams administration, the United States Navy conducted operations that are largely missing from recent scholarly and popular history. Legislation created the Department of the Navy and the position of Secretary of the Navy, and the United States also fought the Quasi-War with France. That conflict saw the first victories for the United States Navy at sea, and the first landing of the United States Marine Corps on foreign soil. This paper examines these significant events, analyzes why they do not have a larger place in U.S. Navy lore, and argues for greater inclusion of these events in the respective service origin stories.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 10, 2020
Accession Number
AD1092634

Entities

People

  • Michael J. Rak

Organizations

  • Naval War College

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DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • American Revolution
  • Arleigh Burke Class
  • Boats
  • Delaware
  • Destroyers
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Marine Corps
  • Marine Transportation
  • Military History
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Vessels
  • Navy
  • New York
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges

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