Recently I had taken up the subject of the US Constitution and its 1st Amendment freedom of religion status. My view is that the Founding Fathers knew that Islam is a major threat to non-Muslims and should have banned it. Since they did not ban it just take a look at where we are today.
This morning sometimes guest writer Meme Mike would like to add some more information to the conversation.
TIMELINE: US Constitution, Bill of Rights, & Barbary Wars
Historical Note: Our Founding Fathers were aware of the Islamic threat and its religious ideology before the Constitution was even drafted. Shouldn’t this have been taken into consideration? Was this a Fatal Flaw in the First Amendment that haunts America and Western Civilization to this day? Just asking.
Key Timeline of the U.S. Constitution (Google search) and First Barbary Wars (Source AI)
September 17, 1787:
“Barbary pirates first began methodically attacking English merchant ships in the early 1600s (specifically from 1609 onward), while their targeted attacks on American merchant ships began in 1784 following the end of the American Revolutionary War.History, English Merchant Ships:While sporadic confrontations occurred in the 16th century, it wasn’t until the early decades of the 17th century—when European renegades taught the corsairs how to navigate square-rigged ships—that they began a massive, concentrated campaign against northern European shipping.
Admiralty records show that Barbary corsairs plundered English shipping almost at will, capturing an astonishing 466 British vessels between 1609 and 1616. By 1640, the situation was so dire that the British Parliament had to establish a dedicated “Committee for Algiers” specifically to oversee the fundraising and ransoming of thousands of English captives.American Merchant Ships:Prior to gaining independence, American colonial vessels enjoyed safe passage in the Mediterranean under the protection of the British Royal Navy. However, once the United States signed the Treaty of Paris in 1783, it lost British protection.
1784: The very first American vessel, the brig Betsey, was seized by Moroccan pirates.1785: Algiers declared war on the United States and captured the civilian ships Maria and Dauphin, enslaving their crews for over a decade while demanding steep ransom.
Because the early American government lacked a standing navy, Presidents George Washington and John Adams were forced to spend up to 20% of the entire federal budget on tribute and ransom payments to buy safe passage, a financial humiliation that ultimately led to the creation of the U.S. Navy and the onset of the First Barbary War in 1801.”
Freedom can be lost when laws are vague and when silence becomes surrender.
KNOW YOUR ENEMY
If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.
(Sun Tzu, The Art of War)
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