Tripioli Treaty?

Question

Why was Thomas Jefferson against this treaty with the Islamic barbary pirates, according to his own principles and beliefs?

Answer 1

Jefferson was opposed to paying tribute to the Bashaw as well as to paying ransom for captive Americans. Tripoli was brought to it's knees by Navy frigates and an army which included mercenaries and US Marines. In principal, it should have been possible to demand unconditional settlement. But as a practical matter, the Bashaw was a better bet to make peace with the US than his rivals. To save face for the Bashaw and to allow him to hold power, the peace provided for Tripolitan POW's to be returned, while US prisoners were ransommed for $60,000. In the end, peace was worth more than principle to Jefferson, and he accepted the treaty. He rationalized this by emphasizing that the most important point was that the US had not paid anything in tribute.