<P> The Academy traces its roots to 1801 , when President Thomas Jefferson directed , shortly after his inauguration , that plans be set in motion to establish the United States Military Academy at West Point . The entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites , buildings , and monuments . The majority of the campus 's Norman - style buildings are constructed from gray and black granite . The campus is a popular tourist destination complete with a large visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States Army . </P>
<P> The Academy traces its roots to 1801 , when President Thomas Jefferson directed , shortly after his inauguration , that plans be set in motion to establish the United States Military Academy at West Point . The entire central campus is a national landmark and home to scores of historic sites , buildings , and monuments . The majority of the campus 's Norman - style buildings are constructed from gray and black granite . The campus is a popular tourist destination complete with a large visitor center and the oldest museum in the United States Army . </P>
when did west point become a military academy
when did west point become a military academy
1801
1801