What was the original mission of the cutters that became the earliest predecessor of the U.S. Coast Guard?
Enforce tariff laws and prevent smuggling
The answer was Enforce tariff laws and prevent smuggling. Here's the why, the decoys, and the source trail.
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On August 4, 1790, Congress authorized ten revenue cutters to enforce federal tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling.
This answer is checked against U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office.
A good question makes the wrong answers feel close. Here is the clean read on the set.
- Deliver federal mail - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
- Chart the Atlantic coastline - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
- Enforce tariff laws and prevent smuggling - correct answer.
- Rescue passengers from shipwrecks - a decoy; it may live near the same topic, but it does not answer this exact clue.
Enforce tariff laws and prevent smuggling is the one to remember. On August 4, 1790, Congress authorized ten revenue cutters to enforce federal tariff and trade laws and prevent smuggling. The modern Coast Guard was created in 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service and Life-Saving Service were combined.
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Sources: U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office