Final answer:
Jefferson's response to pirates on the north coast of Africa was not raiding American merchant ships.
Step-by-step explanation:
Jefferson's response to pirates on the north coast of Africa was not raiding American merchant ships. The correct answer is False. Instead, Jefferson chose to respond to the piracy issue through economic means, such as the Embargo Act of 1807, which placed a ban on trade until Britain and France stopped seizing American ships on the high seas. However, the embargo had little impact on these countries and instead devastated American commerce.