“A nation, by establishing a character of liberality and magnanimity, gains in the friendship and respect of others more than the worth of mere money.” –Thomas Jefferson, Special Message, January 13, 1806.

Context

President Jefferson wrote this “special message” to Congress at the end of the first Barbary War.  The conflict had begun in 1801, after Jefferson refused to pay tribute to Tripoli in exchange for the protection of American merchant vessels.  As a result, the pasha of Tripoli declared war on the United States.   A treaty was negotiated in 1805, although diplomatic relations with Tripoli remained challenging.  Ports in the Mediterranean were critical to American trading interests, but the Barbary States (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli), which seized American ships and demanded tribute from the United States, often proved an impediment to legitimate commerce in the Mediterranean.