Transcript The Barbary Pirates

The Barbary Pirates
Mr. Phipps
U.S. History
The Barbary Coast
• Consisted of four states: Morocco, Tripoli, Tunis, and
Algieria
• Established by Barbarossa in the 16th century
• Pledged the states to the Ottoman Empire
Corsairs
• The Barbary Corsairs were
privateers who had been operating
out of the Ottoman Empire since the
Crusades
• The leading Corsairs were Saracens
• Were Muslims, preyed exclusively
upon Christians
• Operated out of several infamous
ports including Algiers, Sale,
Tripoli, and Tunis
• Favored galleys that were fast and
maneuverable in shallow water
• Used terror tactics to force merchant
vessels to surrender
Importance
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As Muslims, they were sworn to oppose Christians
Were created during the Crusades
Took slaves rather than killed them
Those who converted to Islam were treated as equals
and avoided slavery
• Sanctioned by a government
Protection Money
• The Barbary States demanded annual tribute from seafaring
nations (tribute allowed their ships to sail unmolested across the
Barbary Coast and to trade in African ports)
• By the 18th Century, most of the European powers paid tribute
routinely
• After 1783, America was no longer under protection from the
pirates (through relationship to Britain)
• In the late 18th century, the U.S. gov’t agreed to pay tribute to
each of the pirate states
The Great Debate
• Adams and Jefferson
disagreed about how to
handle the Corsairs
• Adams strongly
favored paying off the
pirates
• Jefferson vehemently
disagreed
The First Barbary War
• In May 1801, both sides declared war
• An American squadron chased the Corsairs back into the
Mediterranean
• The squadron accomplished little:
– An unsuccessful blockade was enacted, with help from
Sweden
– Encouraged Sweden’s active participation, mutual
benefit
– Let the pirates know America would not tolerate them
any longer
• America tried numerous ineffective assaults over the
course of the next few years
The Philadelphia
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In 1803, the American Frigate the
Philadelphia pursued an enemy Xebec
into an uncharted reef
The Philadelphia caught on a sandbar
and was forced to an embarrassing
surrender
American Commodore Edwin Preble
was forced to decide the best course of
action
He ordered a raid, and Lieutenant
Stephen Decatur successfully carried it
out
This was the most effective victory by
the Americans to date in the war
A New Course of Action
• The United States opted to pit the Arabs against themselves
• Yusuf Karamanli was the Bashaw of Tripoli, but his brother, Hamet,
was the rightful owner to the throne
• Hamet was convinced by the Americans to overthrow Yusuf
• American marines and Hamet’s ragtag army marched hundreds of
miles across the desert from Egypt
• They successfully seized the city of Derna
• Victory! Yusuf was compelled to sign a peace treaty
War’s End?
• Peace was negotiated, though Yusuf was never
overthrown
• The return of American prisoners was guaranteed
• Overall, not much really changed
– Only Tripoli made an agreement
– The other Barbary States weren’t bound by
terms
• American vessels traded freely for about the next
decade, until incidents with Algiers flared
Importance
• The Barbary Wars prompted the
U.S. to build a navy
• The wars united the American
armed forces (people fought as
marines rather than Georgians
and New Yorkers)
• Signaled the weakened status of
the Barbary States
• Proved that America could
execute a war far from home
(first real test of American
military power)
• Provided valuable military
training
• Made the Americans
overconfident
in their abilities--War of 1812
The Second Barbary War
• During the War of 1812, the
pirate states increased their
attacks on American shipping
• Ended swiftly (the American
navy was much more seasoned
after the war of 1812)
• Ended all tribute payments by
the United States to pirate states
• By 1830 most European nations
had followed suit
Importance
• Tribute payments stopped because:
– Britain and Holland followed America’s lead and bombarded the
Algerian fleets and fortifications
– French colonialism challenged American and Dutch activity
– Italy overthrew the Bashaw of Tripoli and created Libya
• 19th century Imperial colonialism put an end to the piracy
– America’s victories
against the pirates set
the stage for this
colonialism