Nineteenth-Century Honor Concept Development at America’s Senior Military Colleges

The eight senior military colleges—the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, Norwich University, Virginia Military Institute, Citadel, Virginia Tech, University of North Georgia, and Texas A&M–maintain honor codes often seen as having originated in the nineteenth century. In fact, none had written honor codes until the twentieth century. What did develop in the nineteenth century was the concept of honor, with striking similarities among the colleges. Their emphasis on strict discipline, rigorous academics, and Christian ideals, drawn from the military service and regional cultures, were the foundation for such honor concepts as restrained manhood, gentlemanly behavior, and self-discipline—and ultimately, of the individual honor codes.