What year did Congress establish the first hospital?

• A. 1775
• B. 1776
• C. 1777
• D. 1778

Answer: (B)

The idea being tested is how the early U.S. government started organizing medical care for its troops by creating a formal hospital through congressional action. The year 1776 is the best answer because that is when Congress took the concrete step to establish the first hospital to care for wounded soldiers, signaling a shift toward structured, government-supported healthcare in the new nation. This move set a precedent for federal involvement in public health during the Revolutionary era, moving beyond ad hoc or charity-based care that had been common before.

The other dates don’t align with the moment Congress first created a hospital: one is earlier than that formal action, and the remaining dates come after the establishment, so they don’t represent the inaugural congressional establishment of a hospital.