...mmerce of other peoples. So early as 1785 two American vessels had been captured by these corsairs, and their crews (twenty-one persons) had been held in slavery for ransom. The Dey, or ruler, of Algiers demanded $60,000 for their redemption. As this sum would be a precedent, other means were sought to obtain the release of the captives. In a message, in 1790, President Washington called the atte...