Birth of the U.S. Marine Corps
Before America was even a nation, Marines fought with the willingness and determination to win every battle. Discover the rich 250-year history that forged the legacy of past and present Marines, from 1775 to today’s elite fighting force.
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During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress passed a resolution stating that “two Battalions of Marines be raised” for service as landing forces for the recently formed Continental Navy. The resolution, drafted by future U.S. President John Adams and adopted in Philadelphia on November 10, 1775, created the Continental Marines and is now observed as the birth date of the United States Marine Corps.
Serving on land and at sea, the original U.S. Marines distinguished themselves in a number of important operations during the Revolutionary War. The first Marine landing on a hostile shore occurred when a force of Marines under Captain Samuel Nicholas captured New Providence Island in the Bahamas from the British in March 1776. Nicholas was the first commissioned officer in the Continental Marines and is celebrated as the first Marine commandant. After American independence was achieved in 1783, the Continental Navy was demobilized and its Marines disbanded.
In the next decade, however, increasing conflict at sea with Revolutionary France led the U.S. Congress to establish the U.S. Navy formally in May 1798. Two months later, on July 11, President John Adams signed the bill establishing the U.S. Marine Corps as a permanent military force under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Navy.
U.S. Marines saw action in the so-called Quasi-War with France and then fought against the Barbary pirates of North Africa during the first years of the 19th century. Since then, Marines have participated in all the wars of the United States and in most cases were the first soldiers to fight. In all, Marines have executed more than 300 landings on foreign shores.
Today, there are more than 215,000 active-duty and reserve Marines operating from 35-plus major bases and installations. These include Camp Pendleton in California, Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia, and Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.
The motto of the service is Semper Fidelis, meaning “Always Faithful” in Latin.
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