The Barbary wars : American independence in the Atlantic world
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references (p. [203]-216) and index.

Within a year of American independence, an American merchant ship was captured by state-sponsored pirates operating out of the ports of Morocco. Algerian pirates quickly seized two more ships: the boats were confiscated, their crews held captive, and ransom demanded of the fledgling American government. The history of America's conflict with the piratical states of the Mediterranean runs through the first four presidencies; the adoption of the Constitution; the Quasi-War with France and the War of 1812; the construction of a full-time professional navy; and, most important, the nation's halting steps toward commercial independence. Depicting a time when Britain ruled the seas and France most of Europe, this book shows that America's earliest conflict with the Arabic world was always a struggle for economic advantage rather than any clash of cultures or religions.--From publisher description.