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Hello and thank you for joining the American Revolution this week. Episode 384 the Rebirth of the U.S. navy during the Revolutionary War, the Continentals never had much of a navy. They managed to launch 13 relatively small frigates which were converted merchant vessels armed with a few cannons. Most of the naval power for the Continentals came from privateers. Even many state navies were larger than the Continental Navy. Despite its small size, Congress could not even afford a handful of ships. The few ships that had not been captured or destroyed during the war were were sold off at the war's end. One ship that was not quite finished and which the government couldn't afford to finish, was given to France as a gift. France ended up decommissioning that ship and trashing it as it was not considered seaworthy. The Continentals held on to a single 36 gun frigate after the war, the Alliance. John Paul Jones had captained the alliance for a time. John Barry had commanded her when she fought the last naval battle of the Revolutionary War off the coast of Havana on March 10, 1783. Even the cost of that single ship was too much expense for Congress. They auctioned off the alliance in 1785 to a Philadelphia merchant. Officers in the Continental Navy petitioned Congress to give them half pay, which was the normal procedure in Britain for officers who were not on active duty. Congress declined, arguing that there was no more navy. It had been dissolved. There were no ships, no officers, no sailors, nothing. A few states maintained their own small state navies, but there was nothing that could take on foreign powers. After establishing the Constitution, the Congress began re establishing an army, but no navy. The army was needed to deal with Indians. There was no immediate naval threat, and what threats did exist could not be confronted with any pitiably small navy that Congress could afford. So for several years, Congress simply ignored the issue of having no navy. The Treasury Department, under Alexander Hamilton, formed what would later be called the Coast Guard. They built a few small ships that would be on the lookout for smugglers trying to avoid import duties, but there was nothing that could challenge an enemy warship. Merchant shipping got off to a slow start. After the war, in 1783 following the peace treaty, Britain banned US merchant ships from entering any port in the British West Indies. Before the war, colonists made most of their trade income carrying food to the West Indies to feed the large slave populations on islands that didn't want to waste space growing their own food for the slaves instead of valuable cash crops like sugar. The cutoff of British ports caused American trade to suffer in the post war years. Some trade continued when British officials were willing to look the other way. But by 1788, US trade with the British West Indies was about half of what it had been before the revolution. Prices for exports fell. Many New England fishermen moved to Nova Scotia so that they could continue to trade with the British colonies in the West Indies. Before the war, New England had a strong shipbuilding business, building ships for British merchants. Britain also forbade British merchants from buying ships from America. Economic depression hit the port cities, especially in New England. The weak economy created higher unemployment and led to the foreclosures that had resulted in revolts like Shays Rebellion. American merchants began looking for other markets. In 1785, a ship out of New York sailed all the way to China, bringing back some profitable cargo. Many other ships followed, opening up a growing trade with China. Others found new opportunities in Bengal, where the East India Company was still willing to trade with American merchants. They also found new markets in the Baltic and Mediterranean ports. Others sailed for West African ports to continue the slave trade. France was also considered an important new trading partner. When Jefferson became the French ambassador in 1784, one of his first priorities was to establish more commercial treaties, both with France and the French West Indies. The trade picked up over time. When most of Europe went to war with revolutionary France. European ports were willing to pay top dollar for American products. Many of the products made in America could be sold for two or three times the cost in foreign ports. As American merchant vessels began to spread across the globe, the lack of a navy to support them became more and more of an issue. Many Americans had naively thought that since they weren't at war with anyone, their vessels would be largely safe sailing on the high seas. This was not the case. The need for a navy became more pressing over the years. When the new war in Europe began, it became downright urgent. Washington had declared neutrality, primarily to protect US Shipping. That did not work. As Alexander Hamilton warned in one of his Federalist Papers, a nation despicable by its weakness forfeits even the privilege of being neutral. In 1793, Britain ordered the seizure of all neutral vessels headed to France or the French West Indies. Any cargoes would be seized as contraband. Britain had embarked on a policy of starving out the French. After the revolutionaries had executed so many landowners. They found that the peasants were incapable of managing the farms. French agricultural productivity plummeted and the famine stricken nation was dependent on imports. The British wanted to deny any relief to the enemy. Frequently, the British navy would take captured American crew members and impress them into British service. During wartime especially, the Royal Navy was in desperate need of capable sailors. And English speaking sailors were especially in demand. France also became a threat to American shipping. French authorities found it easier to seize American merchant ships at sea. They get to keep the ships, confiscate the cargo, throw the crews into prison to be held for ransom. And that proved much more profitable than actually buying the cargoes from the Americans. U.S. authorities protested these actions, but neither Britain nor France cared. What could the US do other than protest? It had no navy to threaten any sort of retaliation. It wasn't just major powers that picked on easy American prizes at Sea. In 1785, the same year that Congress sold off its last warships, ships from the Barbary States captured American merchant ships in the Mediterranean. They kept the ships and cargo and put the crews to work as slaves. US Negotiators had to provide ransoms to get their return. Attacks continued. Some American sailors remained as slaves for years. In 1792, the Dey of Algiers demanded a ransom of $60,000 for the return of a hundred Americans and a dozen ships. The Mediterranean became off limits to American shipping. In 1793, though, the situation worsened. Portugal had been blocking the Strait of Gibraltar, which kept the Barbary ships bottled up in the Mediterranean. Portugal and Algiers negotiated a truce that ended that blockade. And Algerian cruisers sailed into the Atlantic, capturing 10American ships in October of that year, the first month that they could get into the open seas. American merchant ships were easy prey, and there was no danger of retaliation from an American navy that did not exist. Congress had been debating establishing a navy for years. The Constitution had explicitly authorized Congress to provide for and maintain a navy. The administration had recommended this. In 1790, Secretary of War Henry Knox submitted estimates for the construction of several frigates. Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson also recommended the construction of a small fleet based on his prior diplomatic dealings with the Barbary States. Congress, though dithered, the country was still trying to get its debt under control and the people would not tolerate higher taxes. In 1793, the Senate endorsed the idea of a navy, but only quote, as soon as the state of public finances will admit the expansion of the Barbary attacks on American shipping in the Atlantic finally focused Congress's attention. Word of the October attacks reached Philadelphia by the end of the year. On January 2, 1794, the House of Representatives enacted a resolution that the government needed a naval force adequate to the protection of the commerce of the United States against the Algerine Corsairs. Even then, the vote was pretty closely divided. The matter was referred to a committee to study the matter. That committee was largely made up of New Englanders who supported a navy. In fact, several committee members owned ships themselves. After less than three weeks, the committee recommended building four large 44 gun frigates and two smaller 20 gun frigates. The committee estimated the cost for the fleet would be $600,000. This might not sound like much today, but that was close to 15% of the entire federal budget. In 1793, the government spent a total of 4.5 million and that included a huge amount for debt retirement. The committee's estimate of $600,000 would also prove to be a rather low estimate of the actual cost. Opposition to a Navy remains strong in Congress. Leading the opposition was none other than Congressman James Madison. He and other Republicans viewed a permanent navy as as what one opponent called a self feeding organism. It would result in higher taxes and more debt. Opposition was particularly strong in the southern and Western states. They viewed a navy as yet another subsidy to New England merchants. Wealthy shipowners in large northeastern towns were essentially trying to use the tax dollars of southern and western farmers to get free security for their assets. Beyond the cost of a navy, some also voiced an ideological opposition. Like a standing army in peacetime, a standing navy was a symbol of military autocracy. Even worse, a standing navy cost much more than a standing army. It was something meant for the projection of power abroad. America only needed a military to defend its land. A navy contributed little to that. One opponent characterized all navies as the playthings of kings and tyrants. In response, pro navy advocates argued that a navy was necessary for the US economy. Marine insurance premiums had increased to 25% of the value of a ship and its cargo. This imposed a $2 million burden on the cost of trade, which impacted everyone who purchased imported goods or who had their crops or other products sold abroad. These costs far exceeded the cost of building and maintaining a navy and would fall considerably if the Navy deterred attacks on American shipping. Supporters also raised the issue of national pride. America had to have a navy if it expected foreign powers to treat it as a sovereign power. Debate raged in the House for over a month. This really was controversial. In the end, the issue of the Barbary pirates kidnapping and enslaving American sailors seemed to push the majority in favor of building the ships. To get to the majority, those in favor had to accept a Republican amendment that if the US reached a truce with Algiers, that construction of the ships would halt immediately. The final house bill included six ships as proposed by the committee. There would be four 44 gun frigates. The two smaller 20 gun frigates were upgraded to 36 gun frigates. The bill gave the President the authority to appoint six captains who would each supervise the construction of their own frigate. The bill got into the details for all the officers, pay details over rations for the crew, even though it would be years before the ships would be ready to sail. The House passed the bill on March 10th by a vote of 52 39. Voting was pretty strongly divided by region. Northern representatives voted for the bill. Representatives from southern and Western states voted no. It then went over to the Senate, which didn't seem to find the bill nearly as controversial. After minimal debate, the Senate passed the bill with a voice vote. President Washington signed the bill into law on March 29, 1794. The final appropriation for the project in that bill was $688,888. Oversight for building the new Navy fell to Henry Knox, the Secretary of War. Congress would not create a separate Secretary of the Navy until 1798, after several of the ships were completed. Even before Congress passed the naval bill, Knox began looking for a ship designer. He selected Joshua Humphreys. Considered the most talented shipbuilder in America. Humphreys had been building ships since he was apprenticed to a Philadelphia shipbuilder at the age of 14. By age 20, he was a master shipwright with his own yard. Despite his Quaker background, Humphreys supported the Patriots during the Revolution and built several warships and outfitted more privateers. By 1794, he had designed, built or repaired hundreds of different ships. Humphreys recommended a radical new design for the proposed frigates. These ships would be longer and wider than most ships of similar ratings at the time. They would carry large 24 pound cannons at a time when most ships maxed out at 18 pounders. This would give the ships greater firing range and could inflict more damage per shot. They were designed with the purpose of intimidating the smaller Barbary ships. But Humphreys could see them being a real threat to British ships as well. A 44 gun ship would only be a fifth rate ship in the British Navy. They had plenty that were larger and had more guns. But the size and Speed of the new American frigates, along with their greater range and firepower, would become a real surprise to the enemy. And a smaller ship would seem like a much more capable opponent to larger British naval ships. Humphreys new designs drew criticism that the ships wouldn't be as stable or structurally sound as European ships. They had also had a heavier draw, which meant they couldn't follow enemies into shallower waters. But in the end, the government accepted his designs for the ships and building commenced. Washington and Knox worked together to come up with the names for each of the ships and determine where they would be built. The President wanted each ship built in a separate town, in part to spread out the economic benefits of the project, but also to prevent any single town from becoming the exclusive expert in building ships for the Navy. President Washington also appointed the Navy captains within a few months of passage. The most senior captain was John Barry, who would oversee the building of the ship named United States in Philadelphia. Barry would also have input on the appointments of other ships captains. Barry was the only captain who had appeared in the original captain's list of the Continental Navy way back in 1775. I won't get into all of his commands during the Revolution, but he ended up the war as one of its major naval heroes. Following the war, he returned to the command of merchant vessels. By 1794 he was nearly 50 years old, but he had a great war reputation and was still ready for action. President Washington would later appoint him as commodore of the entire fleet. Second in seniority was Samuel Nicholson, tasked with overseeing the construction of the Constitution in Boston. Nicholson had been a lieutenant under Lambert Wickes and later under John Paul Jones. During the war he actually commanded one of the smaller ships alongside the Bonhomme Richard during its famous battle with the Serapis. Later in the war, he captained the 32 gun frigate the Dean. He spent many years after the war trying to get paid prize money for the ships that he had captured during the war. A third appointment went to Richard Dale, who oversaw the construction of the Chesapeake in Norfolk, Virginia. Dale's war service during the revolution began as a lieutenant of a ship commissioned by Virginia. His ship was quickly captured by the British and he was impressed into British service. Later his British ship was captured by John Barry, who was in command of the Lexington at the time. Dale happily volunteered for service and became a midshipman. The British captured him again, holding him as prisoner until he returned to the Lexington. Captured a third time, Dale was imprisoned in England. After his escape, he joined John Paul Jones on the Bonhomme Richard. Dale was captured again imprisoned in British occupied New York City. After his exchange, he went to work on a privateer ship. So he never served as a captain during the war, but became a merchant captain after the war and also happened to marry a relative of John Barry. A fourth appointment went to James Sevier, who oversaw the construction of the Congress being built in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Sevier had been in the army during the war, joining late at age 20 in 1781 after graduating from Harvard. He had no naval experience prior to his appointment, but he had been a merchant captain after the war. Silas Talbot got the fifth appointment, building the President in New York. Talbot had served in the Continental army but volunteered for the Navy when the Continental Congress established one. Although he commanded several small ships in the Navy, he retained his army commission, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Although he received a naval commission as captain in 1779, Congress didn't have any ships available, so he took command of a privateer ship. The British captured that ship and he remained a prisoner until 1781. After the war, Talbot served as a ship's captain on a ship involved in the slave trade. He settled in New York where he got elected to the State assembly and he was serving in the US Congress when the President appointed him to be captain of the new ship. The President, the sixth and final appointment, went to Thomas Truxton to supervise the construction of the ship Constellation in Baltimore. Truxton had been born in New York, but went to sea at age 12. When the revolutionary War began, he was impressed into the British Navy. While he had no choice in serving, he did decline an appointment as a midshipman. After being wounded, he escaped and ended up commanding several privateer ships under a Continental letter of marque. After the war, he was a successful merchant captain making one of the first trips to China from the United States. Work on the project began almost immediately. Washington approved the ship's designs on April 16, less than three weeks after the bill was signed into law. Over the summer, the government began establishing federal navy yards in each of the six towns that would build the ships. By fall, teams were already harvesting oak timber from St. Simon's island in Georgia to build these ships. By the end of the year, the first keel had already been laid in Philadelphia. The project would take years to complete, but was already well underway. Next week, the government faces another internal rebellion, this time over the tax on whiskey. This episode is brought to you by scribe. Back in the time of the American Revolution, one of the most powerful forces wasn't just strategy or leadership. It was information. 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If not for the charitable generosity of some other family members, my family would have been ripped apart. I was sure to get my own policy as soon as I had children. It's simply part of being a responsible parent. Ethos makes getting life insurance fast and easy. It's completely online, there's no medical exam, and you can get your coverage in minutes. Ethos gives you the best rate from a network of trusted carriers. Take 10 minutes to get covered today with life insurance through Ethos. Get your free quote@ethos.com Revolution that's E T H O S.com Revolution application times may vary, rates may vary, but don't put this off. Check out their options today. Hey, thanks for joining the American Revolution podcast Aftershow, part of the Airwave Media Network. Thanks to my Patreon supporters in the Alexander Hamilton Club, George Davis and Gordon Kemp. And thanks also to Robert Morris Circle supporters Keith mello and Patrick LeBeau. I also want to welcome new standard bearers on Patreon, Ben Caterman, Larry Seltzer and David Serrow. And also thanks to Gary Guzzi who upgraded from Standard Bearer to Privy Council. Also thank you to Roger Zander for a generous one time gift via PayPal. I know I say it a lot, but I really do appreciate everyone who supports this podcast financially. Remember that if you give as little as $2 per month on Patreon, you get access to commercial free episodes. Supporters at the $10 level or higher get a free limited edition magnet each month with a different scene from the American Revolution before we get into this week's analysis, I have one quick correction. Last week I called Dolley Madison's brother in law John Todd. John was her husband's name. The brother in law was James Todd. Sorry for any confusion. This week we covered the Naval act of 1794, which established the United States Navy. The U.S. navy usually considers its birth date as October 13, 1775, when the Continental Congress authorized the Continental Navy. But as we saw today, that Navy disappeared and there was no Navy for over a decade. The US Navy as we know it today started with this bill on March 27, 1794. I mentioned that the position of the Secretary of the Navy was created once the first ships were built. Through most of US History, the Secretary of the Navy was the equivalent in rank to the Secretary of War. The Secretary of the Navy managed the Navy, and the Secretary of War only managed the Army. This didn't change until after World War II, when Congress restructured the military entirely. The Secretary of War became the Secretary of the Army, a new branch was created and run by the Secretary of the Air Force, and all three branches were overseen by a new position called the Secretary of Defense. The actual construction of the six frigates authorized in this bill would take a long time. Remember that Congress had stipulated that building would stop if the US signed a peace treaty with Algiers in 1795. This treaty was negotiated and it was ratified by the Senate in 1796. Americans, though, considered this treaty to be a national humiliation. The Dey of Algiers received a ransom of cash and gifts, including having the US Build a frigate for the Algerian Navy. The Crescent was built in Portsmouth and delivered to Algiers in 1798. They renamed it the El Marikana. Unlike other ships being built, the Crescent meant bare minimum standards for a frigate, and it did not last very long. The treaty also required the payment of $600,000 in tribute and another 200,000 to release the American prisoners. Although a third of those who had been captured in 1793 had already died under the harsh conditions, the treaty also required an ongoing annual tribute of $21,000 worth of military supplies. The cost of all those supplies was often exceeded that amount by several times. Given the high cost of obtaining peace with Algiers, Congress opted to continue building three of the six ships for its new navy. Two of the larger ships and one smaller ship were completed in 1797. The ship the United States launched first in May. The Constellation launched in September, and the Constitution launched in October. Work on the other three ships just ended. They were left to rot in dry dock. When the Quasi War with France began in 1798, Congress finally authorized the completion of those other three ships. The Congress and the Chesapeake, both launched in late 1799, and the President finally set sail in the spring of 1800. These ships, which Congressman Madison strongly opposed in 1794, became vital to President Madison in the War of 1812. The Chesapeake and the President were unfortunately both captured by the British Navy. The Congress also left active service in 1813. The constellation was broken up in 1853, although some of its timbers were used to build a new ship with the same name. The United States remained in service until 1861. It was being maintain at a shipyard in Norfolk when Virginia seceded from the Union and the Confederates took control of that ship. Given its age, though, it wasn't really considered useful and the Confederates scuttled it the following year. The final ship, the Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, never left service. It's gone through several major renovations and obviously is no longer used in combat. The last battle was fought during the War of 1812. However, the ship did remain in active service through the 1830s. In the 1840s, it circled the globe just to show off US naval power. And in 1853, it captured its last prize, an illegal slave ship that was headed for the US Shortly before the Civil War, the Constitution was taken out of service. It was outfitted as a school ship for the Naval Academy. During most of the 20th century, the ship remained in Boston on exhibition. In 1976, it led a parade of tall ships to celebrate America's bicentennial. After one of the many rehabs, the Constitution was able to sail in 1997 to celebrate its 200 years of service. While the ship technically remains on the books as an active Navy ship, its primary purpose these days is as a floating museum in Boston. Those who criticized the cost of the Navy certainly felt proven right. The cost of building the six ships turned out to be more than three times the original estimates. By 1798, before the last three ships were even complete, the government had spent over 2.5 million on the project. By 1800, the cost of the Navy Department made up roughly half of all federal expenditures, not counting debt service My book recommendation this week is Six Frigates the Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. navy by Ian Toll. This book covers not only the construction of these first six ships, but all of the early naval actions that these ships took on in early US history through the War of 1812. It provides an interesting look at the early years of the US Navy. The author, Ian Toll, has written a number of books on naval history, although most of them are from the World War II era. If you want to learn more about the early history of the US Navy, the most comprehensive book that I've found is six the Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy by Ian Toll. My online recommendation is an article from the US Navy's historical website called the Reestablishment of the Navy 1787-1801. It gives a really good overview of what we discussed today, but it also includes a very comprehensive bibliography in case you are looking for more in depth sources on today's topic. As always, I've included direct links to the article in my blog and in my show notes. My question this week asks what was the nature of the beef between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton? Well, Burr and Hamilton had been political opponents for most of their lives. They were about the same age, roughly 19, when the war started. Burr had graduated from the College of New Jersey, later called Princeton, and was studying law in Connecticut. When the war began. Hamilton was still at King's College, later called Columbia. Both young men dropped what they were doing and sought commissions in the Continental army when the war began, their rivalry began almost immediately as they took on the rivalry of the more senior officers whom they assisted. Burr had actually originally been assigned as an aide to General Washington, but he left that position in early 1776 to get battlefield experience. He served under General Benedict Arnold and later General Horatio Gates. Hamilton began the war as an artillery officer, but then accepted a promotion to lieutenant colonel to serve as one of Washington's aides. Their time in service of Washington did not overlap, but the two young officers began to distrust each other. You see this especially during the Conway cabal, finding themselves on opposite sides of that dispute. After the war, both men settled in New York seeking political careers. Hamilton became the leading Federalist, while Burr supported the Democratic Republicans. Burr managed to defeat Hamilton's father in law, Philip Schuyler, for the Senate seat in 1791. The two men never seemed to like or trust each other. This was apparent on a national scale when Hamilton helped his arch rival Thomas Jefferson win the presidency that year in order to ensure that Burr did not get it. The final straw that led to the duel came when Burr ran for New York governor in 1804. A third party had published a letter that claimed Hamilton considered Burr a dangerous man who ought not to be trusted with the reins of government. Burr then wrote in a public letter demanding that Hamilton deny that or that he said anything that someone could have interpreted as him saying in that letter. Hamilton then wrote a letter neither confirming nor denying what he said. The war of words went back and forth through several more published letters, with Burr demanding a denial and Hamilton refusing to give one. Hamilton essentially gave him the 18th century version of Come at me, bro. Burr then issued the challenge for a duel and Hamilton accepted. If you have a question you'd like me to answer, please reach out to me either via email or on X, Facebook, Quora, or Reddit. Well, that's all for this week. I hope you will join me next week for another American Revolution podcast.
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