Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy amazon/Six-Frigates-Epic-History-Founding/dp/039333032X MARCH 27, 1794: BIRTH OF THE US NAVY ... The U.S. Navy was “reborn” on March 27, 1794 when Congress authorized the building of six heavy frigates. Though the new United States had a small navy during the Revolutionary War it was quickly disbanded in peacetime. However, deprivations against U.S. shipping on the high seas convinced Americans that a blue-water, oceangoing navy was necessary. So the U.S. Navy, largely using the designs of master shipbuilder Joshua Humphreys, constructed six heavy frigates in six different American ports. This project paid tremendous dividends later on as the innovative frigates, both more powerful than a standard frigate and faster than the larger “ships-of-the-line”--the battleships of that era--proved to be highly effective in a number of wars. One of the most important events that drew the ire of the British Colonies in America and sparked the American Revolution was the Quartering Act--called the Mutiny Act in England--passed by Parliament on March 24, 1765. Though the colonies often welcomed the arrival of troops to fight the French in the French and Indian War, many thought the measure was arbitrary and obnoxious. It was especially so because they were forced to pay for these troops with no real control over the cost or implementation. The Quartering Acts gave Americans a long-term fear of standing armies and the quartering of troops in private homes and businesses. Also, most of the revolutionary leaders had a deep knowledge of the Roman Republic and its downfall in part due to a corrupted military establishment and masterful military leaders. This fear led to the writing of the Third Amendment to the Constitution which states, “No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.” (RAND PAUL has joined DEMS & some GOP women in attacks on the Army in part due to fear of a standing army.) But fear of a powerful land army did not necessarily extend to the navy. British citizens had long accepted the construction of a potent navy due to its ability to defend their interests abroad and inability to crush liberties at home. George Washington and his Federalist political allies believed it was necessity to construct a Navy to adhere to the Federal government’s constitutionally mandated duty to “provide for the common defense.” Opponents of ratification warned that the navy would expand the power of the federal government to the detriment of the states; that it would increase the public debt; that it would lead to higher taxes; and that its expense would fall on the small farmer of the impoverished interior of the country, who might never even lay eyes on the sea. It must be noted though that in the early day of the Republic, the federal government had few responsibilities other than national defense, and this government was tightly restricted in scope. in early American history the navy was “non-existent” and that this made U.S. commerce “a defenseless and wealthy target of plunder.” The growing United States was largely reliant on commercial trade with other nations, and many Americans came to realize the necessity of some kind quick-striking force that could respond to threats on American shipping, and so supported the building of the six innovative frigates and the permanent establishment of the Navy. This small navy performed admirably in the nation’s early military conflicts, going toe-to-toe with French and British war ships in the Quasi War with France and the War of 1812 with England, respectively. They also laid waste to the pesky Barbary pirates in several conflicts on the North African coast. Some of these early frigates, like the USS Constitution, nicknamed “Old Ironsides” for its near miraculous ability to deflect enemy cannon fire, became legendary for their exploits on the high seas and proved their worth to the American people. In an era in which the U.S. Navy is the smallest it has been in nearly a century, and budget priorities have been directed to numerous projects outside of national defense, it is important for Americans to understand how much American prosperity has depended on having such a powerful force to protect liberty at home and interests abroad. breitbart/Big-Peace/2014/03/23/This-Week-in-History-Birth-of-U-S-Navy USS CONSTITUTION OLD IRONSIDES Named by President George Washington after the Constitution of the United States of America, she is the worlds oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat. Launched in 1797, Constitution was one of six original frigates authorized for construction by the Naval Act of 1794 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Constitution ORIGINAL 6 FRIGATES OF THE US NAVY en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Original_six_frigates_of_the_United_States_Navy JEFFERSON FIGHTS THE BARBARY PIRATES en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Barbary_War
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 13:45:23 +0000
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