So, the First Barbary War is America’s first confrontation with these filthy bedouin Islamic religious fanatical pirates. Jefferson wasn’t intimidated by the pirate fleets and decided the challenge required a strong military response in the face of these uncivilized muslim barbarians who tried to extort nations within freely navigable waters. Thomas Jefferson took the opposite approach and strengthened our navy and changed it’s policies of engagement to a more proactive stance. Unfortunately, with the problem would still remain for American financiers of commercial exports. This would relieve Congress out of the responsibility of paying the extortionists. John Adams continually being frustrated had come up with the idea to sell America’s Navy ships to the commercial market. The Continental Congress agreed to the extortion, and the administrations of Presidents George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson unwillingly followed suite in paying these Muslim extortionists right from the onset of our federal governments founding in 1789.Įven though later Presidents such as, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were continually vocally opposed to giving in to the demands of the terrorists, they sought out preventive measures but with seafaring aggressions it was hard for America’s small navies to be active combatants for commercial merchants. This muslim form of extortion could be viewed like the old NYC mobs insurance policies of protection offered to small business merchants.

For them it was cheaper and easier then paying for a military campaign. This was plain extortion, and stupidly other European nations paid the small ransom requests then sending out their Navies. As bribery scheme to stop these high seas crimes, these barbaric muslim pirates demanded an annual lump sum ransom and often times extorted countries to pay them in advance not to do it. The Barbary Coast of Africa had a history of kidnapping the crews of US merchant vessels, as well as other nations ships for ransoms. Commodities such as, agriculture and durable dry goods where often seen as easy targets for shipping predators of African Muslim states. By the early 1800’s, America’s small Navy was sailing the around the world trying to desperately protect it’s arboriculture, agriculture, and material exports.

Historic navy buttons civil war