Founding of the U.S. Army

The United States Army was officially founded on June 14, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress passed a resolution to create the Continental Army. This move came in response to the outbreak of armed conflict between colonial militias and British forces at Lexington and Concord just two months earlier.

The resolution called for the enlistment of ten companies of expert riflemen from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia to serve for one year. The very next day, George Washington was appointed Commander-in-Chief, tasked with leading this unified force against British troops, particularly around Boston.

This marked the first time the colonies had a centralized military force, transforming a patchwork of local militias into a national institution. The Continental Army laid the foundation for what would become the modern U.S. Army, and June 14 is still celebrated annually as the Army’s birthday.