[DIRTYSECRET]

Jefferson and Adams met with a representative of the countries that were kidnapping our merchant marines. The muslim showed a Koran and said non believers must be dealt with in that manner. It was then that Jefferson decided that if he was to ever lead our nation he’d go to war with these people. Adams was no help. Washington advocated paying them off.

[Reily]

“... Washington advocated paying them off...”
As did every other European seafaring nation did at that time. There was no European\Western consensus as what to do about them. In fact none did coalesce until Jefferson authorized William Eaton to organize the Tripoli Expedition (Maybe the first Presidential authorized covert action!), 8 USMC 3 USN ships some 500 mercenaries against 4000-5000 defending Derna, result victory, & 2nd line in the USMC hymn - “ to the shores of Tripoli”. Later a joint UK-French Expedition crushed the pirates inspired by the upstart Americans.

[Georgia Girl 2]

It convinced Jefferson to go after the Barbary pirates.

[JohnBovenmyer]

>Washington advocated paying them off. Realistically, George had no choice THEN. We had no standing military. We were well and truly broke and we were just starting out with a new form of government. Paying tribute with, IIRC, about a third of what passed for a federal budget while trying to get us domestically on our feet was his least bad alternative. And he got us back on our feet well enough so that his successor, John Adams, could afford to found the Navy. And his successor, Jefferson, was able to use it instead of paying tribute.