1802 Thomas Jefferson - First Barbary War

In 1801, congress passed naval legislation to provide for 6 ships to protect American commerce along the Islamic Barbary Coast, but stopped short of declaring war. One of these ships, the USS Enterprise engaged it's first action against a 14-gun Tripolitan corsair, or ship of warfare. The USS Enterprise won after a one-sided battle, but since congress had not declared war, the battered pirate ship was let into port without taking prizes. Afterwards, in response to Jefferson's request for authority to deal with the Barbary pirates, Congress passed "An act for the Protection of Commerce and seamen of the United States against the Tripolitan cruisers". This authorized the president to "employ such of the armed vessels of the United States as may be judged requisite" in the Tripoli harbor to protect American ships from being seized by the Barbary pirates.

The armed vessels went unchallenged, but to the disappointment of Jefferson, some of the Tripolitan corsairs evaded the blockade and American merchantmen were captured. Most escaped, but one merchant ship the Franklin and the five Americans on it were quickly ransomed. These events would lead to Thomas Jefferson questioning once again. Which is less costly, tribute or war? While Jefferson had argued in favor of war, the advancing war in 1802 was proving more costly an more difficult than anticipated. It would become even more so if other Barbary powers became involved.

In December 1802, Thomas Jefferson addressed the situation with congress:

"There was reason not long since to apprehend that the warfare in which we were engaged with Tripoli might be taken up by some other of the Barbary Powers. A reinforcement, therefore, was immediately ordered to the vessels already there. Subsequent information, however, has removed these apprehensions for the present. To secure our commerce in that sea with the smallest force competent, we have supposed it best to watch strictly the harbor of Tripoli. Still, however, the shallowness of their coast and the want of smaller vessels on our part has permitted some cruisers to escape unobserved, and to one of these an American vessel unfortunately fell prey. The captain, one American sea man, and two others of color remain prisoners with them unless exchanged under an agreement formerly made with the Bashaw, to whom, on the faith of that, some of his captive subjects had been restored."

Islamic Terrorist

Yes, these Barbary pirates were Islamic terrorists. Several years earlier in 1784, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had traveled to London to negotiate peace with the ambassador of Tripoli. When they asked questions "concerning the ground of the pretensions to make war upon nations who had done them no injury", the ambassador replied: 

"It was written in their Koran, that all nations which had not acknowledged the Prophet were sinners, whom it was the right and duty of the faithful to plunder and enslave; and that every mussulman who was slain in this warfare was sure to go to paradise. He said, also, that the man who was the first to board a vessel had one slave over and above his share, and that when they sprang to the deck of an enemy's ship, every sailor held a dagger in each hand and a third in his mouth; which usually struck such terror into the foe that they cried out for quarter at once."

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=29444
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Enterprise_(1799)
http://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/first-barbary-war
http://www.behindbluelines.com/2012/09/14/dealing-with-the-islamic-world-in-1805/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War