4/2/24 I knew I had to read this when the treaty with the Barbary pirates came up as one of the big events of 1794. Once I picked up the book, I realized it started earlier, in 1785, and it finished in 1809. The prologue begins when Captain Richard O’Brien’s ship is captured in July of 1785, two years after the end of the Revolution. The pirates kept the ship, but they threw the crew into slavery. Most were freed 10 long years later. A few died as slaves. Chapter 1 begins in March of 1786 when Thomas Jefferson and John Adams met to talk about piracy, and how they could free O’Brien’s crew. They’d already been held as slaves for 3 years. A treaty wouldn’t be signed into law until 1794. The US paid tribute to the Barbary states. In return they promised to leave American merchant ships alone, and to free the sailors who’d been forced into slavery. Would you believe during that time American merchants had to buy insurance for their ships sailing the Mediterranean? Or that they paid 20 times the rate of European merchants? But there was no choice. Our new country was deep in debt from the Revolution, and it needed the trade from southern Europe. American merchants no longer had British protection. Even King George III paid tribute to the Barbary states. This is a modern map of the Barbary states. Their boundaries may have changed, but their names haven't. Can you find, east to west, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya? In May of 1800, William Bainbridge was given command of the USS George Washington, one of the first ships in the American navy. It was carrying a few of the things promised in the treaty, but the gold and silver was delayed. Bainbridge knew that meant trouble, but he had no idea. When its ruler, the ‘Dey’ didn’t get it, he decided the ship should carry his ambassador and entourage across the Mediterranean to Constantinople, the capital of the Ottoman empire. (Now known as Istanbul, Turkey.) He wanted the Americans to deliver his own yearly tribute. Bainbridge let an Algerian pilot take him to the dock, and he parked the USS George Washington right under the fortress guns. BIG Mistake! Bainbridge didn’t realize until he was ready to leave. He couldn’t – unless – he did what the ruler wanted – sail everyone to Constantinople – the ambassador, 100 attendants, 100 captive Africans (AKA slaves). Plus, gifts that included 4 horses, 25 cows, 150 sheep, 4 lions, 4 tigers, 4 antelopes, and 12 parrots. But the final blow – the ‘Dey’ ordered the American flag taken down, and the Algerian one put up. The ship’s 7 guns had to fire a salute to the new flag. Bainbridge thought it was the worst thing ever. That it would never be forgotten. Turns out it was, and the worst was yet to come, , and it didn't stop. It was now July of 1803, and Bainbridge was commanding the USS Philadelphia. When he was chasing an Algerian cruiser, he struck some rocks, leaving his ship dead in the water. Bainbridge would surrender the ship and his crew. Then it got WORSE. A storm came up and swept the Philadelphia free. The Algerians controlled the ship and forced their slaves, the American crew to fix their own ship. To arm it with their own cannons. Later the Algerians planned to turn them on our navy. But Bainbridge had the last laugh – he was still a hostage, but he managed to send intelligence to the American Navy in the Mediterranean. They found a way to destroy the Philadelphia. Yes, they lost a ship, but they kept the Algerians from using it against them. The last chapters are about how the Americans almost toppled the Bashaw (the Dey’s boss). They couldn’t because an American diplomat negotiated a treaty in 1805 that undercut our fighting forces. It paid a tribute for the return of our sailors, but it ended the war. It made the seas free for merchant ships again, and captives would be treated like prisoners of war, not as slaves. President Jefferson was satisfied to see an end to the conflict. But the piracy finally ended after the War of 1812. The Navy returned to Tripoli in 1815. American ships and their guns made it clear the days of piracy were over. A treaty was signed, and the US didn’t pay a dime of tribute. This time the Barbary States paid restitution to the Americans. Don’t forget to check out the back matter. It’s all about each historical event and the men who shaped them. Amazon’s Description: This is the little-known story of how a newly independent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers and what happened when America’s third president decided to stand up to intimidation. When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new country could afford. Over the previous fifteen years, as a diplomat and then as secretary of state, Jefferson had tried to work with the Barbary states (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco). Unfortunately, he found it impossible to negotiate with people who believed their religion justified the plunder and enslavement of non-Muslims. These rogue states would show no mercy—at least not while easy money could be made by extorting the Western powers. So President Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy’s new warships and a detachment of Marines to blockade Tripoli—launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America’s journey toward future superpower status. As they did in their previous bestseller, George Washington’s Secret Six, Kilmeade and Yaeger have transformed a nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story that will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Among the many suspenseful episodes: ·Lieutenant Andrew Sterett’s ferocious cannon battle on the high seas against the treacherous pirate ship Tripoli. ·Lieutenant Stephen Decatur’s daring night raid of an enemy harbor, with the aim of destroying an American ship that had fallen into the pirates’ hands. ·General William Eaton’s unprecedented five-hundred-mile land march from Egypt to the port of Derne, where the Marines launched a surprise attack and an American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil for the first time. Few today remember these men and other heroes who inspired the Marine Corps hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles in the air, on land and sea.” Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates recaptures this forgotten war that changed American history with a real-life drama of intrigue, bravery, and battle on the high seas
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AuthorWhen I write, I can only have one voice in my head, mine. A little noise is fine. But too much, or worse yet, WORDS, and I must change rooms or pull out headphones. Then I can write on! Categories
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