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Millions for Defense: The Subscription Warships of 1798
The title of this book comes from a toast popular with Americans in the late 1790s - “millions for defense, not a cent for tribute.” Americans were incensed by demands for bribes from French diplomats and by France‘s galling seizures of U.S. merchant ships, and as they teetered toward open war, were disturbed by their country‘s lack of warships. Provoked to action, private U.S. citizens decided to help build a navy. Merchants from Newburyport, Massachusetts, took the lead by opening a subscription to fund a 20-gun warship to be built in ninety days, and they persuaded Congress to pass a statute that gave them government “stock” bearing 6 percent interest in exchange for their money. Their example set off a chain reaction down the coast. More than a thousand subscribers in the port towns pledged money and began to build nine warships with little government oversight. Among the subscription ships were the Philadelphia, later lost on the rocks at Tripoli; Essex, the first American warship to round the Cape of Good Hope; and Boston, which captured the French corvette Le Berceau. This book is the first to explore in depth the subject of subscribing for warships. Frederick Leiner explains how the idea materialized, who the subscribers and shipbuilders were, how the ships were built, and what contributions these ships made to the Quasi-War against France. Along the way, he also offers significant insights into the politics of what is arguably the most critical period in American history.
- GenresAmerican History
262 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1999
17 people want to read
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December 15, 2012
President John F. Kennedy famously said "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." While given in a different era with different world problems, Kennedy's statement is also appropriate to this book and its subject.
Frederick Leiner's book "Millions for Defense" narrates the actions of patriotic citizens of the United States during what has become known as the "Quasi-War" between the U.S. and France from 1798-1800. The U.S. Navy, at that time, was almost non-existant, and this encouraged Revolutionary France to attack American shipping as a form of retaliation for U.S. refusal to aid in their war. The U.S. was helpless to stop these piratical attacks due to a lack of warships. Beginning in Newburyport, Massachusetts, individual citizens - many of them merchants with much to lose in a naval war - began an initiative to collect subscriptions from citizens to fund the construction of naval vessels which were subsequently loaned or donated to the U.S. Navy. These vessels became the backbone of the Navy which defeated France, primarily in battles in the Carribbean.
While the U.S. government, led by President John Adams, later encouraged the subscription effort by granting 6% Navy Stock to those who subscribed, the effort primarily remained a citizen initiative. While many of these warships were squandered and decayed due to the wasteful neglect of the later Jefferson and Madison Administrations, which were hostile to a strong national defense, some of them enjoyed long, important careers - especially the USS John Adams, which was built by subscription in Charleston, South Carolina and saw service through the Civil War, more than 60 years later. During their nation's hour of need, patriotic citizens did not wait for their government to act and grant subsidies to themselves; they acted on their own initiative and gave their government the means to help itself.
Leiner's book is a refreshing read, considering the current political climate in which hand-outs are increasingly sought from the federal government. In fact, this theme is pointed out in the book. The author narrates the story of each individual vessel separately, which helps keep the narrative focused on the ships, rather than getting bogged down in the larger history of the era. Readers seeking an comprehensive history of the Quasi-War will likely be dissapointed, and it might be helpful to readers unfamiliar with the conflict to gain a rough understanding of the event before reading Leiner's book. With that said, "Millions for Defense" is a great read and highly recommended for those interested in the Age of Sail or the history of the Early Republic in the United States.
Frederick Leiner's book "Millions for Defense" narrates the actions of patriotic citizens of the United States during what has become known as the "Quasi-War" between the U.S. and France from 1798-1800. The U.S. Navy, at that time, was almost non-existant, and this encouraged Revolutionary France to attack American shipping as a form of retaliation for U.S. refusal to aid in their war. The U.S. was helpless to stop these piratical attacks due to a lack of warships. Beginning in Newburyport, Massachusetts, individual citizens - many of them merchants with much to lose in a naval war - began an initiative to collect subscriptions from citizens to fund the construction of naval vessels which were subsequently loaned or donated to the U.S. Navy. These vessels became the backbone of the Navy which defeated France, primarily in battles in the Carribbean.
While the U.S. government, led by President John Adams, later encouraged the subscription effort by granting 6% Navy Stock to those who subscribed, the effort primarily remained a citizen initiative. While many of these warships were squandered and decayed due to the wasteful neglect of the later Jefferson and Madison Administrations, which were hostile to a strong national defense, some of them enjoyed long, important careers - especially the USS John Adams, which was built by subscription in Charleston, South Carolina and saw service through the Civil War, more than 60 years later. During their nation's hour of need, patriotic citizens did not wait for their government to act and grant subsidies to themselves; they acted on their own initiative and gave their government the means to help itself.
Leiner's book is a refreshing read, considering the current political climate in which hand-outs are increasingly sought from the federal government. In fact, this theme is pointed out in the book. The author narrates the story of each individual vessel separately, which helps keep the narrative focused on the ships, rather than getting bogged down in the larger history of the era. Readers seeking an comprehensive history of the Quasi-War will likely be dissapointed, and it might be helpful to readers unfamiliar with the conflict to gain a rough understanding of the event before reading Leiner's book. With that said, "Millions for Defense" is a great read and highly recommended for those interested in the Age of Sail or the history of the Early Republic in the United States.
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