In his 1801 annual message to Congress, delivered in writing, President Thomas Jefferson reported that Tripoli, a Barbary state, posed the greatest threat to peace. Jefferson presented evidence of the ongoing problem of piracy and explained that in response to Tripoli’s increasing demands and aggression, he had sent frigates into the Mediterranean to protect American trade.
The legislature will doubtless consider whether, by authorizing measures of offence… they will place our force on an equal footing with that of its adversaries.
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson, First annual message to Congress, December 8, 1801
Protection from Piracy
Barbary pirates preyed on ships off Africa's western and Mediterranean coasts for centuries. After U.S. independence, Britain withdrew protections for American ships formerly stipulated in treaties with the Barbary States. In the 1780s and 1790s, pirates captured and enslaved many American sailors, demanding exorbitant ransom payments. After diplomatic means failed, Congress authorized the creation of the U.S. Navy to prevent further raids on American commerce.
In his 1801 annual message to Congress, delivered in writing, President Thomas Jefferson reported that Tripoli, a Barbary state, posed the greatest threat to peace. Jefferson presented evidence of the ongoing problem of piracy and explained that in response to Tripoli’s increasing demands and aggression, he had sent frigates into the Mediterranean to protect American trade.
The legislature will doubtless consider whether, by authorizing measures of offence… they will place our force on an equal footing with that of its adversaries.
Manuscript Division, Library of Congress
