March 27, 2013 marks the 219th anniversary of the formation of the United States Navy by the Navy Act of 1794. Congress appropriated funds for the building of six heavy frigates, a number of which would go on to become legendary fighting vessels.
The establishment of a powerful naval force was uneven in early American history due to the traditional American fear of military establishments and the centralization of government. However, given increasing global power and belief in free trade it became clear that a world class navy was vital to protecting American interests and ideals abroad.
President Thomas Jefferson learned the hard way about the danger of having an insufficient navy. Instead of continuing to build and service a blue water navy, Jefferson decided that a large force of tiny gunboats could protect the American homeland and ports. This was couched in the belief that the military was only needed for basic homeland defense and that economic pressure instead of military strength could accomplish American foreign policy goals abroad. The result was nearly catastrophic for the young country.
American merchants were continually pillaged by North African pirate states in the Mediterranean, which Jefferson and later Madison eventually solved by increasing American naval presence in the region. The two times they deployed the blue water navy were mostly a product of the policies of their political opponents. However, the real failure was the total lack of preparation for the War of 1812 and weakness of the American military during the worldwide conflict between Napoleonic France and Great Britain. The failure to protect American sailors from being impressed into the service of the British and French navies during these wars demonstrated the critical weakness of a great economic power that lacked the military might to protect itself and its citizens.
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