That balance made the heavy frigates useful for Mediterranean and South American presence and for defending a neutral policy. They could defeat ordinary frigates and make the young republic difficult to bully, yet they did not threaten a major navy's battle fleet. An opponent could dominate them with ships of the line, but doing so imposed a much higher commitment than casual coercion. Their value as conflict-management tools therefore came from making pressure costly without making every encounter an existential contest.
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American heavy frigates made the republic costly to coerce
Early American heavy frigates were strong enough to defeat ordinary cruisers but not so powerful that their deployment automatically threatened a major naval state.