Glenn Beck Quotes

This quotation was the beginning of a struggle between Congress and the Presidency over war powers. In this case, President Jefferson had sent a squadron of American ships to protect American Shipping from Arab Corsairs who preyed on shipping and captured crews and passengers of all nations to hold for ransom or put into slavery. The American ships, instead of only providing defense, attacked some of the ships of the Bey and freed a captured American frigate and crew. Jefferson acknowledged that the act was a grey area and asked for authority more authority for the Executive Branch to initiate action. The balance of authority for war and/or defense has been struggled over ever since.

At the time, the Muslim nations of the Barbary Coast commonly seized merchant ships anywhere in the Mediterranean and other oceans. They would sell the cargos, enslave the Christian crews and passengers and then demand ransom for the ships and the freedom of the slaves. However, if nations paid each of the rulers of three countries--Morocco, Algeria & Tunisia--enough annual tribute, ships of the paying nation would not be molested. The European Maritime powers paid the tribute rather than go to war. However, this became a political controversy in the U.S. John Adams and many others wanted to pay the tribute. Jefferson and still others, argued that such tribute should never be paid and war was preferable. This treaty, negotiated by Donaldson and the Algerian Ruler, was a great victory for Jefferson as no tribute would be paid by the U. S.—the only country so exempted. However, it took an invasion of Tripoli lead by U.S. Marines and a massive naval bombardment of Algiers to ‘persuade’ the ruler of Algeria to sign the treaty. Later, the Barbary pirates reneged, and the U. S. did pay a tribute rather than have another war. They did however, pay less than the European powers.

Most Americans do not realize that our naval forces were disbanded after the Revolution and even the Constitution did not require a navy. We had some Federal revenue cutters to interdict smugglers but no warships and no permanent sailors or officers. The Barbary Pirates had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom. See {640850},86703,{640846} & {640848}

“Musselman” was then a term for Muslims used by Europeans. The Arabs then, as many terrorists still do, commonly captured American and European ships enslaving the crews and passengers or holding them for ransom. Jefferson and Adams explained that if this could not be stopped and resolved it might mean war. The Americans could not understand why they were attacked when American had done nothing to offend the Arab Counties. The Arab envoy explained their “duty” and “right” to attack Americans and why war was not a serious deterrent to Islamic nations. Ironically, the same explanations were given by Arab leaders in the early 21st century to illustrate why the Arab countries could not be intimidated.

The President established the principle that since the government was founded on the will of all citizens, then the life and liberty of each citizen was the responsibility of all. In the Marine Corps Hymn, the “shores of Tripoli” refers to the attack by US Marines to free American hostages and eliminate attacks on our merchant ships. The result was very successful and Jefferson wanted to reward the leaders by giving them promotions but Congress had to first authorize the positions.

Raiders operating out of the Barbary Coast typically would attack any American shipping seizing the goods and the ship and ransoming the crew or passengers or selling them as slaves. English and French governments had paid the Tripoli tribute for safe passage. The President and Congress sent American ships to in effect blockade the corsairs in their harbors.

Adams urged paying tribute to the Barbary Pirates who had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom. Most of the European powers were paying the annual tribute as they calculated that it was cheaper than patrolling the Mediterranean with warships or going to war with the Barbary States. More important for Adams was that he did not think that the country would support such a military action. See {640847} That was Adams’ thinking. Jefferson however, sent our Navy and Marines to our first foreign war, and they were very effective. However, despite the American military victories, and because of the inability for the European powers to collaborate and share the burden of naval patrol, the United States went back to the craven policy of paying the blackmail. See {640846} & {640848}.

See {640847}, {640845} & {640846}. The capitalization is exactly as Adams wrote it. Note the omission of a capital letter for “congress” for whom he and many others had little respect even then.

He was referring to attacking the Barbary States. The Barbary Pirates had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom. See {640846}.

Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier. The Barbary Pirates had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom.

The Barbary Pirates had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom.

He was referring to the Algerian Barbary Pirates who had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom. Ames was well known for his hyperbole and fear of all the worst possible consequences. He was in many ways like some of the Tea Party of the 21st century who saw immigrants taking over the country and Muslim terrorists in attack on the United States. The Algerians did not have the inclination, skill, or shipbuilding skill to handle trans-Atlantic travel.

The Barbary Pirates had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom. Jefferson refused to pay tribute though John Adams and others urged that he pay just like all the European Powers at the time. So to him it was keeping American ships out of the Mediterranean or some kind of concerted military naval option with the other European powers. For those powers however, the cost of keeping the sea lanes open with naval vessels was expensive and the tribute was a small proportion of the profits of merchant shipping at the time—a decision which many World shippers and nations made about 200 years later regarding the Pirates in Somalia and Asia. They treated it as a cost of doing business. In Jefferson’s case the multilateral idea was contributed by Lafayette. When the European powers were unwilling to participate in a combined military operation, Jefferson chose another alternative. He sent a naval squadron to confront the Barbary Pirates and the states which really controlled them. He did not ask Congress and the President’s war powers vis a vis the Congress have been in dispute ever since.