Marines Born: Samuel Nicholas Raises First Flag
The Continental Congress passed a resolution on November 10, 1775, authorizing two battalions of Marines 'good seamen, or so acquainted with maritime affairs as to be able to serve to advantage by sea.' Captain Samuel Nicholas, considered the first Marine commandant, recruited the initial force at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, a bar that has since become the mythic birthplace of the Corps. The original Marines served as shipboard soldiers and raided British installations in the Bahamas. After the Revolution, the Marines were disbanded and reconstituted in 1798. The 'Marines' Hymn' references 'the shores of Tripoli,' where a Marine detachment fought Barbary pirates in 1805. Today the United States Marine Corps numbers roughly 180,000 active-duty personnel and is the most rapidly deployable conventional force in the American military.
November 10, 1775
251 years ago
Key Figures & Places
United States Marine Corps
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Philadelphia
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United States Marine Corps birthday ball
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Tun Tavern
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Philidelphia
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Samuel Nicholas
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US Marines
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United States Marine Corps Birthday
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Tun Tavern
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Philadelphia
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Samuel Nicholas
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United States
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Sesame Street
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American Revolutionary War
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Continental Congress
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