John Jay Quotes
War alone can bring together the various States, and give a new importance to Congress.
He was referring to President Jefferson’s inclination to send the military against the Barbary Pirates. They had an incredible extortion racket going in the Mediterranean. If nations would pay them an annual sum each year, they would not attack and seize merchant ships of that country and sell the ships and goods while holding the sailors for ransom. Note that Congress was not very well respected at that time which Jay and most leaders did not think was a good thing, much like in the 21st century.
John Jay, 1745-1829, President of the Continental Congress, Governor of New York (Federalist), U. S. Foreign Secretary, First Chief Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court, Quoted in Joseph Wheelan, Jefferson’s War
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declared against the United States by Barbary Algeria
At the time of this speech virtually the entire world believed that. However world attitude changed markedly after the administration of George W. Bush and the United States invasion of Afghanistan after September 11 and the Iraq War which was for regime change.
John Jay was an American statesman, patriot, diplomat, Founding Father, abolitionist, negotiator, and signatory of the Treaty of Paris of 1783. He served as the second Governor of New York and the first Chief Justice of the United States (1789–1795). He directed U.S. foreign policy for much of the 1780s and was an important leader of the Federalist Party after the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788.
