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Summary and Analysis of

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates

The Forgotten War that Changed American History

Based on the Book by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger

The summary and analysis in this ebook are meant to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction. This ebook is not intended as a substitute for the work that it summarizes and analyzes, and it is not authorized, approved, licensed, or endorsed by the works author or publisher. Worth Books makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this ebook.

Contents

Context

Its easy to understand why Brian Kilmeade cites the story of the Tripoli pirates as one of his favorites, and why his book, written with Don Yaeger, has become a New York Times , Los Angeles Times , and Publishers Weekly bestseller: Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates is an action-filled account of land and sea battles, exiled kings, fiery ships, captured sailors, and more, as it recounts the events of the First Barbary War.

After the Revolutionary War, the United States was a young nation still trying to establish its identity and reputation around the world. America found itself at peace until 1785, when pirates off the coast of North Africa began capturing US merchant ships and taking their crews back to the Barbary nations as slaves. The Mediterranean sat in the midst of the Ottoman Empire, and American merchants depended on doing commerce with the nations along the coast; but the tributes demanded by the Muslim nations to ensure the safety of US ships were exploitative and liable to increase without warning. During their successive presidencies, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson confronted the problem with opposing views: Adams favored diplomacy and tribute payments; Jefferson preferred war.

In Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates , readers will learn the little-known history of Americas first encounters with terror from Islamic nations, and how strong naval and military defense on the Barbary Coast helped the United States achieve its status as a world power today.

Overview

In 1785, the United States was a nation largely at peace, trying to establish its status in commerce and government throughout the world. It came as a surprise when American merchant ships sailing the Mediterranean Sea began to face an undeclared threat: Pirates from nations along the North African coast were attacking and enslaving their crews. When the Dauphin and the Maria were captured, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams met in London and learned that their countrys ships would be in danger unless the United States agreed to pay thousands in annual tribute money. Thus began a disagreement that would plague their personal relationship as well as their country for decades to come: To use force, as Jefferson wanted, or to negotiate and pay for peace, as Adams preferred?

By the time the enslaved sailors were released a decade later, the United States was struggling to piece together tributes that would satisfy the Barbary nations ever-increasing demands. In 1799, the George Washington delivered an unsatisfactory tribute to Algiers and in return its crew was forced to ferry an Algerian entourage to Constantinople. When Jefferson became president in 1801, tensions were high enough that he sent the US Navys first flotilla of ships to the Mediterranean to keep the peace. At the same time, the bashaw of Tripoli, Yusuf Qaramanli, declared war against the United States.

During the next four years, the US Navy fought battles at sea, blockaded enemy harbors, endured the capture and enslavement of the Philadelphia , and finally launched a plan to take Derne, Benghazi, and Tripoli by land and overthrow Yusuf Qaramanli. In the end, only Derne fell, as Consul Tobias Lear stepped in with a treaty and ransom that appeased Bashaw Yusuf and secured the prisoners release. The peace was not to last forever, but the First Barbary War ended, and President Jefferson had proved the necessity of military strength in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Summary

Authors Note

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates is the story of a young nation fighting against the brutality of four Muslim powers. Frustrated that American ships were being captured, enslaved, and held for ransom, Thomas Jefferson decided on a show of strength, committing the country to a war that in some ways were still fighting today. Patriotic and proud, failure is not an option for Americans. This book is about the brave men, many of them forgotten, who fought to secure our freedom.

Prologue: Unprepared and Unprotected

In July 1785, the US merchant ship Dauphin sailed the Mediterranean, its crew under the impression that it was on friendly seas, as the United States was at peace with all surrounding nations. Captain Richard OBrien was shocked, then, when he realized that a ship that had pulled up alongside them wasnt merely trying to communicateinstead, members of its crew swung aboard the Dauphin in a surprise attack that culminated in enslaving the Americans and holding them captive in Algiers for ten years.

Chapter 1: Americans Abroad

When the Dauphin was seized, Thomas Jefferson was acting as minister to France and John Adams as ambassador to London. The two convened to discuss the situation, and meet with Tripolis London ambassador, Sidi Haji Abdrahaman. Abdrahaman explained that because the US ships carried non-Muslims, the Islamic pirates saw no wrongdoing in plundering their shipsalthough they would stop if the United States paid an annual tribute to each of the Barbary nations. The amount was more than $120,000. Jefferson and Adams refused to pay such a high tributethe US didnt have that kind of money, and besides, they didnt want to pay bribes or ransoms. However, they also couldnt afford to stop conducting commerce in the Mediterranean, either. Here, their discussion reached a standstill: Adams wanted to negotiate, Jefferson wanted to use force. By 1789, they had both returned to the United States with the conflict unresolved.

Chapter 2: Secretary Jefferson

Upon his return to the United States, Jefferson was appointed secretary of state by George Washington. He used his new position to petition Congress on behalf of the enslaved men in Algiers. When it became clear that pirates were now specifically targeting American ships, President Washington authorized the Act to Provide a Naval Armament in 1794, providing for six new frigates.

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