history,y, lectures in and our new series, reel america. , created by the cable tv industry and funded by your local cable or satellite provider. like us on facebook and follow us on twitter. , a ceremonyext commemorating the establishment , 220e u.s. coast guard five years ago with the urging of alexander hamilton. the ceremony includes washington and hamilton reenactors, a performance and a of the coast guard marching song. the alexander hamilton awareness society hosted this event.

t ladies andrning, welcome gentlemen. event.ur mc for today's e for today's event. i would like to welcome you to the celebration honoring the 225th anniversary of the founding of the united states coast guard. [applause] many historic events took place building on this site, and today, we are celebrating one of the most significant, the of the marines by , anddent george washington

treasury secretary alexander hamilton. that has become the coast guard of today. our program will include an appearance by both the president, george washington, and secretary treasury, alexander hamilton. [applause] who will discuss the importance of financial stability of this new agency. we will also hear about the , ase of the nation in 1790 a new federal government soft to establish itself.

afternoon, there will be presentations on the second buildingthis describing the early history of the united states coast guard. and the dramatic story of the cutter alexander hamilton in world war ii and its recent discovery. i also would like to thank the united states coast guard art program for their special exhibit of coast guard paintings that will open here tomorrow. you can see several examples today after the ceremony. on, i would like to

take a moment to thank the people and organizations who worked so hard to put this event together. hamilton merritt president, new york public affairs officer charles laura moose. i would like to recognize captain michael day, commander, u.s. coast guard sector, new -- i must also give special thanks to the coast brassfirst district quintet for providing their musical talents today.

as appropriate throughout the ceremony, i will advise you when to stand or be seated as a yourder, please silence cell phones for the duration of the ceremony. military guests will remain uncovered throughout the ceremony. also, taking photographs is permitted and highly encouraged. manners, please remain uncovered throughout the ceremony. those not in uniform may choose to place your right hand over your heart during the playing of the national anthem. guests please rise for the presentation of colors and remain standing for the national anthem?

>> forward, march. left face. arms.t see by thean you dawn's early light? hailed at they we twilight's last gleaming? whose broad stripes and bright stars, through the perilous fight? 'er the ramparts we watched,

were so gallantly streaming glare, thekets red bombs bursting in air night,oof through the that our flag was still there o, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave? o'er the land of the free and ♪e home of the brave? >> right face.

forward march. host: coast guard, retired the colors. you may be seated. lori sutton, commissioner for veterans affairs, will present a proclamation on behalf of the

mayor of new york city. captain day receives the proclamation. sutton: thank you for your leadership and for being host today, the 225th anniversary of the coast guard. mr. president, mr. secretary, thank you so much for joining us this morning. i know it has been a difficult several years leading to this moment, 220 five years ago, and i want to thank you for your leadership, for your perseverance, for your faith and your vision, that our country could grow into the vibrant democracy that it continues

today, that experiment in democracy that still depends upon the efforts of every one of asworking every single day our brother mr. franklin said at philadelphia when he was asked, are you creating a monarchy? ?r a republic and he said, a republic, if you can keep it. so, thank you for being here today. captain day, thank you so much for your leadership in making our united states coast guard the absolute exemplar of protection for our liberties, of our coastline, of our maritime defenses, and we also want to recognize today leaders from the united states coast guard auxiliary, as well as -- as a look around the room -- citizens great great country, our city, and, since new york has

now become the capital of the fellowic members -- global citizens from around the world. so on behalf of mayor bill de blasio, mayor of new york city, i am truly privileged to bring you these greetings and is proclamation today. office of the mayor, city of new york, proclamation. as a coastal city, new york's storied maritime history has been shaping the life and culture of the five boroughs for and therefore, we although the men and women of the united states coast guard and incredible debt of gratitude for the ways they have helped to protect our shorelines and safeguard our ports and waterways.

the coast guard is our nation's oldest federal see service and its members have remained deeply committed to maintaining our safety and security, both at home and abroad. we are proud to join the coast 225thas it celebrates its anniversary in marks this milestone occasion in new york city. today's is celebration will not only honor the united states coast guard's incredible legacy of service to our country, but will also pay tribute to the support of friends, family members, and loved ones. livesse who put their own on the line to guarantee our safety. it is important for us to take time to read dedicate ourselves to the coast guard's core values of honor, respect, and devotion to duty. i am proud to join with new

yorkers in applauding the members of the coast guard and 225 yearsm for their of excellence. behalf offore, i, on bill de blasio, mayor of the city of new york, do hereby proclaim tuesday, august 4, 2015, in the city of new york as united states coast guard day. congratulations, captain day. [applause]

host: ladies and gentlemen, the year is 1790. a fledgling nation is fighting surfer revival, trying not to lose the unique independent spirit and ideals that drove our founding fathers and our first citizens. mythis time, it is distinguished pleasure to invite president george washington's secretary of treasury alexander hamilton to sign a law creating the marine and providing the united states with the firm foundation to become the longest standing constitutional democracy in the world. [applause] prof. anderson: thank you -- pres. washington: thank you, indeed, for that introduction. sec. hamilton: very kind of you.

togethereen in office in philadelphia, but i don't think i have seen you in uniform, here, in new york, since the days of the war. pres. washington: indeed. sec. hamilton: of course, you know how the war went and the battles went in and around new york. they went brilliantly -- the we had to retreat the length of york island into new jersey. retreating is a dismal business at best, but there is no place to retreat to than new jersey. we retreated the length of new jersey, cross the river into pennsylvania. what happens on december 25? i heard someone say christmas. since this happened every -- i you godless heathens

will be more specific. what happened on december 25, 1776? that's right, we re-crossed the delaware. - tell you my favorite- he sought to entrap us in trenton, and general washington was able to take them at princeton instead. i don't suppose any of you would know this, but before the war, i had applied to the college of new jersey and princeton, and been denied. when the 40th and 55th regiment fell back on the hall, i got into the college of trenton with cannons. but i did not, of course, attend the college of new jersey at princeton. you ought not to invade with cannons if possible.

i attended, in those days, king's college, or columbia you call it in your day. i am afforded their most famous draft house. a fire at lexington and concord, we listed in a militia that very day. often asked, and i don't know about you general, why we feel we need such a strong federal government. why we need a system of taxation? i'd like to take you back to the retreat to new jersey. it was my custom at that time to walk alongside a candidate. -- alongside the cannons. i could not help but notice in front of me. the footprints of the men.

very often shod. cold go through leather like that. once leather becomes completely saturated due to include whether, it becomes very dry and brittle. the men would tie the shoes on their feet, but ultimately they would fall away. the would be barefoot in snow and the mock. -- and the muck. because skin itself is nothing more than a letter, that too began to open up. we would be looking into bloody footprints in the snow and the mire. we saw it more throughout the war, correct me if i'm wrong. pres. washington: indeed. sec. hamilton: i have asked myself, why have we coming to such desperate straits? all the genius i have lies in this. when i have a problem in front

plumb the problem into its very depths. fruit of labor. when i plumb the problem into its depths, what was the result? why we cannot properly sustain our troops. it was the government. the government we had at the time and our lack of taxation. what was the government at the time? it was the articles of confederation. there was no executive branch. there was no judiciary. it was solely a legislature. just take a moment and imagine that, if you will. yes, a legislature that did not even have the power to collect its own taxes. taxes in those days were all collected by the individual states, and passed on to the federal government. i suppose you know how that worked. it didn't, rather. when you start a war, in the

precept of that war is that you don't want to pay taxes, had you impose one? you don't. and it comes back over and over again. when general washington became president washington, he appointed myself secretary of treasury. in those days, we were, at that debt.$8 million in -- $80 million in debt. section of -- assumption of the war debt, and sell the bonds on the open market, which we have every right to do. likewise, we should establish a bank, as we have every right to do, despite what jefferson says. then it came to the selection of taxation, naand how we should tax. we must be able to pay for the military and all sorts of things. in order to do that, what i

thought was best to do was to tax goods that are not necessarily needed by the common man. pernicious luxuries, if you will. like french brandy. french wine. french linen. now that we have anything against the french. there were many, of course, who soft to evade -- who sought to evade the tax on those goods coming into the country. we had a choice where we should collect these taxes. should it be from a single origin? deemed to try and apply attacks to labor. we must have a point of entry. those who wish to serve their ends rather than

serve the public good and dispute the notion they would have to pay a tariff on goods coming into this country would very often keep the boats just offshore and bringing small boats to load those goods into our ports. taxssing our ability to them. it is for that reason that became absolutely necessary that we have some system, some system in place where we can put a stop to those who are trying to evade our attempts to tax them. hence, the need for a system of cutters. will.ard coast, if you i encouraged the general and others in office to put forward an act that allowed us to stop ships coming into our ports.

there was no law that allowed us to do that prior to that time. we would create a law to allow us to do that. and then, to that end, create a series of cutters of boats that we would employ to manage the contraband, hence the revenue. we deemed it best to create 10 ships. pres. washington: yes indeed. hamilton: you know it better than i. pres. washington: i think you can see why i need to as my secretary of treasury. could we have a round of applause? hip hip? [applause] let's try that one more time. i believe an enthusiastic round of applause. unfamiliar with the 18th-century custom. i will say "hip hip," and you will thrust your fists in the

air and say "huzzah" like you mean it. around of huzzahs for my secretary of treasury, secretary hamilton. hip hip! >> huzzah! washington: i want to acknowledge the current service, i believe you even recommended a service to guard the coast. it was alexander hamilton's wording. i would like to take a moment to knowledge the current men and women qwhwho serve in uniform at this point. so please, hip hip! >> huzzah! washington: i will briefly name off the first 10 vessels that were built. many of the custom officers in philadelphia and other places -- baltimore, boston -- they suggested perhaps that we could

just convert vessels that already existed. but mr. hamilton, in his wisdom, decided that they should be built. this would also encourage manufacturing here at home. the manufacturing took place from newberry port massachusetts all the way down to savannah, georgia. 10 different independent. hamilton: it was your recommendation, was it not, that they be built in their states? washington:-- sec. hamilton: and not exceed the price of $1000. pres. washington: i think you know how that went. i would like to acknowledge the first 10 vessels. i will ask for a round of applause after i get through all of them. you must never, -- you must

remember, my memory is not quite that good. starting with massachusetts. the argus. it was patrolling the long island sound. here in new york, you have the villaggiliant. you have the general green, one of my favorite generals. out of baltimore you have the active. out of virginia you have the virginia. carolina was the diligent. in a south carolina -- this one is easy to remember -- south carolina was the name of the vessel. and in georgia, it was the eagle. around of hu -- a round of huzzahs for the first 10 cutters that were built. not all of them came in at $1000, i might add. hip hip! >> huzzah! pres. washington: thank you so

much. hamilton: i would like to take a moment. i was perusing my letters the other day, and i couldn't help but notice the charge i wrote when we put the law into effect, which allowed us to stop a good on seas and the creation of the cutter service. i wrote a bit of advice, presumptuous though it might be -- admitted device for officers. -- a bit of advice for officers. i would like to share that letter with you, if i may. gentlemen, as you are speedily to enter upon the duties of your station, it becomes proper to point them out to you. accordingly, i have sent you a copy of the act under which you have been appointed on which are contained your powers and the objects to which you are to attend.

requisite to be guide you the feeling that act. generally,bserved, that it will be an impartial manner, province of the revenue cutter to guard revenue laws from all infractions or breaches, either upon the coast, or within the bays, or upon the rivers were other waters of the u.s. previous to anchoring vessels in the harbors to which they are respectively nestled. hence it will be necessary for you from time to time to pry along the coast in the neighborhood of your station, and to traverse the different parts of the waters which comprehend, to fix yourself constantly or even generally at one position. in a great measure, defeating the purpose of the establishment. it would confine your vigilance to a particular spot and allow ful scope -- full scope to fraudulent practices everywhere else.

it will be your duty to seize vessels and goods in the cases in which they are liable to breaches of revenue laws when they come under your notice. all the power you can exercise will be bound in some provisions of the law. and it must be a rule with you to exercise none with which you were not clearly invested. perceive that they are only required in respect to vessels belonging wholly or in part to a citizen or citizens, inhabitant or inhabitants of the u.s. it is understood that by inhabitant, it is intending any person residing in the united states, whether citizen or foreign. the reason of the limitation is that citizens or residents foreigners are supposed to know , be acquainted with the laws of the country. but that foreign citizens residing in foreign countries have not the same knowledge, and consequently ought not to be subjected to penalties in regard to a thing which they may not

know to be necessary. but since you cannot be presumed to know before hand what vessels are owned in whole or part by citizens or inhabitants, it will of course be your duty to demand the manifests of all it is currently and report those from which you do not receive them to the direct collector of the district for which they are bound, and you will, at the end of every month, pursuing the division at the end of the year of the calendar, send me an abstract of your records. i would like to admonish you to keep careful eye upon the motions of coasting vessels, without however, interrupting or embarrassing them unless some strong ground of suspicion requires that they be visited and examined. i have no nudist to you -- now noticed to you the immediate execution of your duties. it will be incumbent upon you to makers of acquainted with all the revenue laws which concern foreign commerce and all of the coasting trade, a knowledge of

the whole spirit and tendency of which cannot be but a useful guide to you and your particular career. you will observe that the law contemplates the officers it covers in certain places, remaining on board of vessels until they arrived at their places of destination. it is with so many officers have been assigned to each cutter. that a be a be expected regular journal will be kept it in each cutter. voyagesacticed in sea and that all occurrences relative to the execution of the law and conduct of the vessels will come under their notice, be summarily noticed therein, and that a copy of this journal to the end of each month be regularly forwarded to the secretary of treasury. it has also occurred at the cutters may be rendered an instrument of useful information. concerning the coast, inlets, bays, and rivers of the u.s.,

and it will be particularly acceptable if the officers improve the opportunity that they have, as convenient with the duties they are to perform, in making such observations and experience with respect to the objects that may be useful to the interest of navigation, reporting the results from time to time to the secretary. recommend, in the strongest terms, to the respective officers, activity, vigilance, and from this, i feel -- vigilance, and firmness, i feel that their department may be marked with prudence, moderation and good temper. upon these last quality, it depends a success, usefulness, and continuance of the astonishment with which they are included. they cannot be insensible that there are some pre-possessions against it. and that the charge with which they are entrusted is a delicate one.

it is easy, by mismanagement, to produce serious and expensive clamor, discussed, and odium. -- disgust, and odium. keep in mind always that our countrymen are freeman, and as such, are questioning of a domineering spirit. whatever has the semblance of haughtiness, rudeness, or insult-- if obstacles occur, they won't remember they are under the protection of the law and can meet with nothing disagreeable in the execution of their duty, which these will not severely represent. this reflection and a regard to all the good of the service will a all times presumes spirit of irritation or resentment. they will endeavor to overcome difficulties, if any are experienced, by a cool temperate

moderation, rather than by vehemence or violence. conductmost isle of will recommend them to the present of the united states, while the reverse of it, any single instance of outrage or intemperate or improper treatment of any person with whom they have anything to do in the course of their duty will meet with his appointed displeasure. and will be attended with correspondent consequent is. -- consequences. these observations are not dictated by any doubt of the prudence of any of those to whom they are addressed. selected withn attention to character as to afford the strongest assurance that their conduct will be that of good officers and of good citizens. thus, in an affair so delicate and important, it has been adjudged most advisable to

listen to the suggestions of caution, rather than of those of confidence. and to put all concerns on their guard against those to which even good and prudent men are occasionally subject. it is not doubted that the instructions will be received as it ought to be. and will have do affect. -- have its due effect. you will communicate this to your officers, to your orders, particularly all your officers, and will implicate upon your men a correspondent disposition. i am your obedient servant, secretary of the treasury, alexander hamilton. in the vein of general washington, i would like at this moment to ask you all to join me in a loud and hearty huzzah, three of them to the wonderful revenue cutter service.

hip hip, huzzah! hip hip, huzzah! thank you very much for your kind attention. [applause] >> it's tough to top that. today, so be a round if there are any questions, you may ask. i was talking to alexander hamilton when he came in. i mentioned some anti-federalists lived in a neighborhood, a man by the name of aaron burr. security is looking for burr and his colleagues so that they don't come in. once again, thank you president washington and secretary hamilton. now from the very beginning of the revenue marine to the west coast card today, -- to the u.s.

coast guard today, captain michael day. secretary of new york is the largest coast guard operation field command, almost 3100 active-duty civilians, reserves, auxiliary coast guard forces, spread over three small boat stations. two aides, eight cutters, 10 auxiliary divisions, execute all coast guard operations. from sandy hook, new jersey through the port of new york and new jersey up the hudson river, just south of lake champlain and up the east river to long island sound and the connecticut border. day wasmichael commissioned in 1991, has served all of this great nation, including the strategy policy for the chairman of joint chiefs

of staff, commanding officers of the pacific strike team in california, deputy sector commander of san francisco, california. notably, captain day serves as chief of waterways oversight in the port of new york and new jersey in response to the terrorist attacks on september 11, 2001. it was designated the coast guard on scene commander to evacuate lower manhattan, where he worked as part of a team of civilian marines in coordinating the responsible for 100 civilian vessels and evacuating over 500,000 people on 9/11. now captain day. [applause]

captain day: thank you. president, on behalf of the coast guard, i thank you and the national park service for honoring the coast guard honor 225th birthday. i bid a special welcome to the friends and report partners -- and port partners who have joined us. your instruction to the offices of the revenue cutter service is still required reading to the officers. we still try to live up to this country hence it and insightful instructions that you get. still a subject for new officers and older officers to think about. are we living up to the ideals that you set? i thought that was important to mention to you. the coast guard was brought into existence through the efforts of alexander hamilton, america's first secretary of treasury. during the revolutionary war, he

was a visionary whose ideas and policies laid the groundwork for financial system of this country today. hamilton believed in a strong federal government to not only regulate industry, but to promote its growth. from here at federal hall, the nation's first capital, he put his policies into effect. we know he is standing here today. looking across the street at the new york stock exchange, i think you would be highly satisfied. were he to cast his gaze over all new york city, he would certainly recognized what has become of the city of his day, when central park was used for a feed pastor. but he would recognize the city is vital and vibrant as a nation itself. he will be proud of what we the people have done in the past 2 and 1/4 centuries. but i doubt you would be complacent. hamilton called for the creation of the coast guard, known as the revenue cutter service, because our nation faced peril and

needed to overcome the dangers inherent with being a free and sovereign country. if you look around today at the u.s. and the world we live in, there has been no fundamental change. our country cannot afford complacency. these are still perilous times. the nation still needs resources to do with those perils. the u.s. coast guard is one of the vital instruments of our nation. we are the smallest of the armed forces, and the service with the most diverse mission is set. then as now, we rely up people to meet the challenges we encounter everything ok. it is our people, the men and women of the coast guard, who stand at watch, so that others may rest easy. it is our people who are the bedrock upon which the coast guard is built. then as now, the coast guard's maritime guardian is a role that we take pride in, as we have done for the past 225 years. and for those 225 years, the coast guard has met challenge

after challenge, as had the nation itself. equal to any challenge is the people-- i look upon the men and women who wear the coast guard uniform. they have answered the call to serve. to be the nation's shield and its swift ansd sure sword. we are proud to serve our nation on the birth of the u.s. coast guard. once again, thank you for having us, and we are very honored. thank you. [applause] host: every military service has a song. this song identifies and glorifies the heritage and values. during the playing of this service song, any current of

former member of that service stands for the duration of that song and recognizes the number. song is namedd's after the coast guard's motto, s"always ready." -- semper gentlemen paratus. ♪

host: ladies and gentlemen, this concludes our ceremony today. thank you for visiting us and helping us celebrate the 225th anniversary of the u.s. coast guard. please feel free to enjoy the coast guard's artwork on display or the presentations on early history of the coast guard and the coast guard hamilton torpedo by german u-boats starting at 12:30. i will be on the second floor. the other highlight in this building -- we have the actual bible that george washington used when he was sworn in as president of the united states. that is in the gallery right over here. once again, i thank you for coming. george washington and secretary

hamilton will be here if you have any questions. but please enjoy this space. make sure you take in the program at 12:30 on the second floor conference room upstairs. thank you and have a nice day. [applause] >> to join the conversation, like us on facebook at c-span history. >> now a roundtable of public talkrians and authors about the successes of the civil war more than 150 years later and how it compared to earlier anniversary celebrations. they describe the changes in how parks have interpreted the civil