History of United States Military Academy - Between The World Wars

Between The World Wars

The Interwar years saw the Academy push to modernize to meet the demands of the emerging technologies in warfare. MacArthur became Superintendent in 1919. He instituted sweeping reforms to the academic process, introducing a greater emphasis on history and humanities. He began the process of having instructors study at civilian institutions prior to serving at West Point and he provided more liberal leave and pass opportunities to the upper classes. He made major changes to the field training regimen and the Cadet Honor Committee was formed under his watch in 1922. MacArthur was a firm supporter of athletics at the Academy, as he famously said "Upon the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that, upon other fields, on other days, will bear the fruits of victory.” West Point became an officially accredited institution with the Association of American Universities in 1925 and in 1933 officially began granting the title of Bachelor of Science to all graduates. It was also just prior to World War II that the Academy expanded the reservation boundaries, growing to the nearly 15,000 acres (61 km2) that it comprises today. In 1935, the United States Congress increased the Corps of Cadets to 1,960. As more cadets filled the barracks and classrooms, another building program was undertaken and completed by 1938.