[Cheburashka]

The U.S. stopped paying tribute to Tripoli in 1801.

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So you admit that the U.S. was paying tribute to Tripoli prior to 1801. Which is one of my points - the cliche that the U.S. never paid tribute is demonstrably false. The other point I wished to make was that the U.S. by its success in the Second Barbary War in 1815 showed that countries did not have to pay tribute to the Barbary pirates, tribute that European countries had been paying for centuries.

[DeaconBenjamin]

So you admit that the U.S. was paying tribute to Tripoli prior to 1801.

I admit that the US did pay tribute to Tripoli and Algiers. I don't know about Morocco. And I agree with your second point.