As the trade routes of the US extended into the Mediterranean, its merchant ships became an attractive target for Arab pirates operating out of North Africa. Crews were often held for ransom, and in 1785 the US eventually agreed to pay $1 million a year, nearly one tenth of its budget, in return for safe passage
Milion dolara iz 1785. je oko 23 miliona dolara danas. Sada je američki federalni budžet nažalost značajno veći nego tada. Onda je na scenu stupio fiskalni konzervativac:
On taking the presidency in 1801, Thomas Jefferson ordered a halt to the payments and sent a fleet to North Africa, where it defeated the kingdom of Tripoli, making the seas safe for US merchant ships
Ipak Jefferson nije bio uvek najveći poklonik slobodnog tržišta. Jednom prilikom je zabranio trgovinu sa Evropom i time izazvao mini ekonomsku katastrofu u zemlji. Što danas neki cene kao jednu od najvećih grešaka američkih predsednika svih vremena.
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