The United States Army was founded on June 14, 1775, reaching its 250th anniversary in 2025.
The Second Continental Congress created the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. George Washington was appointed its commander in chief shortly afterward, and the army became the principal land force opposing British forces during the struggle for independence.
The Army’s anniversary is one year before America250 because the army was established in 1775, while the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. The date is also shared with Flag Day, which commemorates the adoption of the United States flag on June 14, 1777.
The Continental Army was later disbanded after the war, but the modern United States Army traces its institutional origins to that 1775 creation. Its 250th-anniversary observances formed part of the broader buildup to America’s national semiquincentennial.