Which organization preceded the modern Coast Guard and was responsible for enforcing tariffs and intercepting contraband?

• A. U.S. Navy
• B. Lighthouse Service
• C. U.S. Revenue Cutter Service
• D. Coast Guard

Answer: (C)

This question focuses on the historical lineage of the Coast Guard and its early mission of enforcing revenue laws at sea. The organization that preceded the modern Coast Guard and was responsible for enforcing tariffs and intercepting contraband is the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service. It was created specifically to enforce tariff laws and combat smuggling along the coast, using armed cutters to patrol waters, seize contraband, and pursue violators. That enforcement experience formed the maritime-law-enforcement foundation that later became the Coast Guard when several agencies were merged into one service. The other options don’t fit this history: the U.S. Navy is a military force with broad national-defense duties rather than a revenue-enforcement agency; the Lighthouse Service managed aids to navigation like lighthouses rather than law enforcement; the modern Coast Guard is the successor, not the predecessor, of these older organizations.