1879 was a very eventful year for John Philip Sousa. He was a successful conductor, conducting Gilbert and Sullivans musical comedy, H.M.S. Pinafore, the year before he became the leader of the United States Marine Band, and it was the year he got married. It was also the year he composed Resumption March. The title was a reference to the resumption of the United States to use gold and silver coins following the post-Civil War inflation and depression. The march was published the same year in Philadelphia by the J. W. Pepper music publishing firm.