 During the American Revolution, American ships came under the aegis of France due to a 1778 Treaty of Alliance between the two countries.By 1783, however, with the end of the Revolution, America became solely responsible for the safety of its own commerce and citizens.Without the means or the authority to field a naval force necessary to protect their ships in the Mediterranean against the Barbary pirates, the nascent U.S. government took a pragmatic, but ultimately self-destructive route.