Coast Guardsman and family members celebrate the U.S. Coast Guard’s birthday in San Diego, CA in 2017. (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

The U.S. Coast Guard is America’s oldest maritime force and celebrates its birthday every August 4.

THE FOUNDING OF THE U.S. COAST GUARD 

What would later be called the U.S. Coast Guard was founded on Aug. 4, 1790, after U.S. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton lobbied Congress to establish a small naval force that could protect the young United States’ maritime interests.

Aug. 4, 1790: Congress Establishes the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service

Upon the end of the American Revolutionary War, the U.S. Navy was disbanded leaving the United States without a military force to enforce trade tariffs, combat piracy, or defend itself against hostile navies.

After Secretary Hamilton petitioned Congress and President George Washington, the combined parties agreed to create a small naval force, the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, that could enforce trade customs while also serving as a coastal policing force until the U.S. Navy was re-commissioned in 1798. 

Until the early 20th century, the Revenue Cutter Service served under the authority of the Treasury Department while occasionally participating in major U.S. conflicts such as the War of 1812 and the American Civil War.

Jan. 28, 1915: President Woodrow Wilson Signs the Act to Create the Coast Guard

In 1915, it was determined that the roles of the Revenue Cutter Service and the U.S. Life-Saving Service, which was created in 1848 to address maritime emergencies, could be performed by a single entity under the Treasury Department.

Over time, the newly formed U.S. Coast Guard slowly absorbed the function and roles of additional maritime institutions such as the U.S. Lighthouse Service.

Legacy of the U.S. Coast Guard

Coast Guardsman patrolling Santa Barbara (Photo: U.S. Coast Guard)

Today, the U.S. Coast Guard operates under the authority of the Department of Homeland Security, except in times of war when units of the Coast Guard are placed under the control of the U.S. Navy.

Although the Coast Guard has changed dramatically over the past 230 years, its mission has largely remained the same: to protect America’s naval borders while enforcing trade customs, performing rescue operations, and acting as an auxiliary to the U.S. Navy.

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Author: Christian Southards

Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.