ABSTRACT
The “Barbary War” of 1801–1805, conducted by President Thomas Jefferson to protect American commerce in the Mediterranean region from attacks by North African regimes, was of decisive importance for the future course of American diplomacy. Independence created both commercial opportunities and strategic dilemmas for the new republic. The irresistible force of American commercial appetites met the immovable object of European protectionism in the Mediterranean. The risks to the expanding American commercial footprint in the Mediterranean soon became apparent. The term “Barbary States” was collective shorthand for the four military and political powers of the North African side of the Mediterranean littoral: Algiers, Tunis, Tripoli, and Morocco. Assertive action would not only pay immediate dividends in the Mediterranean; its benefits would radiate in concentric circles to European capitals as well.
