The Barbary Pirates
Thomas Jefferson decided to stop paying tribute to the Barbary pirates because he believed it was a form of extortion and only encouraged further attacks. He chose to attack them instead to show strength and deter future piracy.
Thomas Jefferson refused to pay tribute to the Barbary pirates, who were demanding payment in exchange for not attacking American ships and capturing American sailors. He believed that paying tribute only encouraged further acts of piracy and instead advocated for military action to protect American interests. This eventually led to the First Barbary War.
Jefferson was opposed to paying tribute to the Barbary states as he saw it as yielding to piracy and extortion. He believed in taking a strong stance against the Barbary powers through military force. In contrast, John Adams was initially in favor of paying tribute to protect American interests and avoid war, but he later changed his position and supported Jefferson's view of using military force to prevent future tributes.
Many of the Barbary pirates began to disrupt colonial trade with England on the high seas. Pirates also seized colonial ships and demanded restitution from Jefferson and other officials.
China's tributaries received trading privileges, protection, and access to Chinese goods in exchange for paying tribute.
President Jefferson advocated naval action against the Barbary pirates because he believed a war would ultimately cost less than continuing to pay tributes. Thomas Jefferson was President from 1801 to 1809.
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A saying spoken by the American delegates when the privateers' demands were issued. The delegates found the terms unacceptable answered "Not a sixpence," but in the inflated rhetoric of the day the response became the infinitely more memorable: "Millions for defense, sir, but not one cent for tribute!"
Believing or paying tribute
The US had paid over $1 million over a period of several years to ransom captured ships and crews and for immunity from future attacks. I do not know if the pirates were specifically demanding money when Jefferson took office, but it was obvious they would continue to demand money and/or seize American sailors as slaves, so he got Congress to prepare a navy for war against the pirates instead of paying more tribute money.
The Barbary Pirates were North Africans who captured, looted and sank American merchant ships. In order for the ships to get by the merchant ships had been paying a tribute to them, but Jefferson was elected President in 1800 and declared he would not pay one penny as tribute to the pirates. Therefore, he sent a battleship to end the blockade. However, the ship was sunk and another ship was captured. Jefferson payed $60,000 in ransom for the ship and its crew and signed a peace treaty with the pirates. This ordeal humiliated the United States but also made Jefferson realize the need for a naval force.