Roderick Reilly
2008-05-13 14:10:44
The review mentions that we were battling the Barbary Pirates during Jefferson’s administration. His administration was also a cautionary tale against reducing the already small armed forces, especially the Navy. Jefferson reduced the size of the Navy, pirates or no pirates, and — as a result — was unable to protect American shipping from depredations by warring European navies (Britain and France in particular). The only “weapon” at Jefferson’s disposal was an embargo of Continental and British goods, which resulted in an economic depression in America.
