Merchant Marine Act of 1936
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The Merchant Marine Act of 1936 is a United States federal law. Its purpose is "to further the development and maintenance of an adequate and well-balanced American merchant marine, to promote the commerce of the United States, to aid in the national defense, to repeal certain former legislation, and for other purposes." One of its important provisions was the establishment of the United States Maritime Commission. It also established regulations for the qualifications and working conditions of American seamen, and for federal subsidies for the construction and operation of merchant ships.
Two years after the Act was passed, the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps, the forerunner to the United States Merchant Marine Academy, was established.
U.S. Representative Schyler O. Bland of Virginia was known as the "father of the Merchant Marine Act of 1936."
[edit] References
- Full text of the original Merchant Marine Act of 1936
- U.S. Code Chapter 27 - Merchant Marine Act, 1936 (Amendments and Explanations)