A Critical Analysis of 'Real Islam'. Its People ... - Bukti dan Saksi

Muslim warlords for American vessels protection. The amounts paid were equivalent to the billions paid
to Muslim states today.
By 1801 it became clear that the policy of appeasement had failed. The Pasha of Tripoli along with
other Barbary States demanded larger sums, and when they were not offered piracy resumed. America
learned its policy of accommodation only encouraged the Barbary brigands to seize more ships and take
more captives. Things were to change with the election of Thomas Jefferson, principal architect of the
Declaration of Independence, and an outspoken opponent of the practice of tribute. He argued that any
policy of appeasement would fail because, "in conveying weakness, it encouraged further treachery".
Jefferson's response to the renewed piracy was to dispatch naval forces. Tripoli responded by declaring
war on the United States. For the next two years the U.S. Navy conducted running operations against the
Barbary pirates. The American battle cry was "millions for defense, but not one cent for tribute". The
fighting during those days saw many acts of heroism that established the U.S. Navy as a force to be
reckoned with. In an 1805 action (now immortalized in the Marine Corps hymn) the USS Constitution
supported the landing of Marines on "the shores of Tripoli". The Americans and their allies destroyed the
harbor citadel serving as the headquarters for the pirates. For much of the next decade, American
merchant shipping passed unmolested through the Mediterranean. Good policy supported by firm action
replaced the foolishness of appeasement, and brought success in America's first war with Middle Eastern
terrorism. Let’s not forget that in the end nations paying tribute are neither respected nor left unmolested.