A Republic, Not an Empire: Reclaiming America's Destiny

by Patrick J. Buchanan

Despite the splendid showing of America’s navy in the undeclared war with France in 1797–1798, “pure Republicans” of Jefferson’s party, like John Randolph, believed a navy was a natural enemy of liberty. Jefferson himself believed in a policy not far distant from unilateral disarmament. On his taking office, the army was reduced by a “chaste reformation,” as Jefferson called it, from 3,500 to 2,500 men, while his navy was being scuttled. “I believe that gunboats are the only water defense which can be useful to us, and protect us from the ruinous folly of a navy,” Jefferson had written.11, 12 Federalists hooted at Jefferson’s naiveté and his Lilliputian fleet. In a world at war, the brilliant intellectual who was president had chosen to defend America’s peace and honor by leaving it naked to attack by land and sea, while trading vigorously with both sides. With much of the navy rotting in dry dock, American merchants began shipping with abandon to both England and Napoleon’s Europe. British merchants whose markets we were pirating were incensed; even more so were British patriots. In England, Americans were looked upon as avaricious collaborators of a criminal regime. Desperate for seamen to replace crews lost in battle or to desertion, the Royal Navy began boarding U.S. ships and removing “British subjects” for impressment into service. Eight thousand to ten thousand Americans were eventually taken, many kidnapped.