Barbary pirates wrecked havoc on American trade from 1801 to 1815, causing the United States to lose nearly two million dollars in ransoms and bribes. The economy began to sink under the heavy request of the Barbary States, and the young nation became forced to borrow money from other countries in order to sustain itself. The Barbary states marked a collection of nations located in North Africa, which practiced state-supported piracy. These nations included Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli. Barbary pirates began to tax American merchant ships ever since the country first gained its independence, but it was not until 1801 that Thomas Jefferson decided to stop the practice of bribe payments. In 1787, America signed a tribute…