American trade and commercial interests were tested early in the new republics history by the Barbary states of North Africa. This empire, a collection of independent Beys, was nothing like the American states and basically made a profit from attacking European commerce and shipping. Joshua London is an author and expert of this time period and wrote an excellent book detailing the United States war with the Barbary States. The Marines defeated and fought the Pirates in a amazing conflict that has reverberations to this day and as London points out shaped the US Navy and importance of having mighty fleet.
There was no diplomacy with North African pirates that attacked at will and often had protection money diverted to these Algerians who were to lazy to produce any commerce of their own. The paying of tribute to these savages was similar to the European practice of paying off North American Indians but this tribute was seen as humiliating and something had to be done. The book covers how William Eaton, William Bainbridge, and Richard O'Brien put pressure on their government to end these practices and take the fight directly to the pirates and the Barbary bastards causing havoc with our shipping and trade around the Medittearrean world. William Eaton was furious that this nation did nothing to return our hostages who were enslaved and then paid the pirate leader and opened up basically a army surplus station of supplies and open credit to these Barbary terrorists so enraged Eaton who was the American consul to Tunis.
Starting in 1800 the US Navy embarked on a building program that would make the area safe for shipping as it developed and improved on key new tactics in blockades, covert actions, amphibious assaults, and brute forces that bewildered the Muslim corsairs that had been so use to a submissive weak Europe and easy tribute Sea harassment to commerce had long benefits these Barbary city-states. American resolve had awaken the nimble and lumbering French republic and impressed them so that France would eventually take a fight and conquer these same lands and really hand it to the sons of Islam and end their corsair piracy ways. London is a great author who proudly writes on our battles with pirates and this time period where this young nation took a stand and defeated terrorism of the Muslim pirates of the Medittearrean and destroying their growing power base and revenues from theft and tribute payments that were a disgrace.
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