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Title details for Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates by Brian Kilmeade - Available

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates

The Forgotten War That Changed American History

by Brian Kilmeade
Don Yaeger
ebook
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“Another blockbuster! Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates reads like an edge-of-your-seat, page-turning thriller. You will love this book and also wonder why so few people know this story. No one captures the danger, intrigue, and drama of the American Revolution and its aftermath like Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger.” —Brad Thor
This is the little-known story of how a newly indepen­dent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers and what happened when America’s third president decided to stand up to intimidation.
 
When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary coast routinely captured American sailors and held them as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new coun­try could afford.
 
Over the previous fifteen years, as a diplomat and then as secretary of state, Jefferson had tried to work with the Barbary states (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco). Unfortunately, he found it impossible to negotiate with people who believed their religion jus­tified the plunder and enslavement of non-Muslims. These rogue states would show no mercy—at least not while easy money could be made by extorting the Western powers. So President Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy’s new warships and a detachment of Marines to blockade Tripoli—launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America’s journey toward future superpower status.
 
As they did in their previous bestseller, George Washington’s Secret Six, Kilmeade and Yaeger have transformed a nearly forgotten slice of history into a dramatic story that will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. Among the many sus­penseful episodes:
 
·Lieutenant Andrew Sterett’s ferocious cannon battle on the high seas against the treacherous pirate ship Tripoli.
 
·Lieutenant Stephen Decatur’s daring night raid of an enemy harbor, with the aim of destroying an American ship that had fallen into the pirates’ hands.
·General William Eaton’s unprecedented five-hundred-mile land march from Egypt to the port of Derne, where the Marines launched a surprise attack and an American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil for the first time.
 
Few today remember these men and other heroes who inspired the Marine Corps hymn: “From the Halls of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles in the air, on land and sea.” Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates recaptures this forgot­ten war that changed American history with a real-life drama of intrigue, bravery, and battle on the high seas.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    November 3, 2015

  • Formats

    • Kindle Book

    • OverDrive Read

      • ISBN: 9780698197411
      • File size: 8979 KB

    • EPUB ebook

      • ISBN: 9780698197411
      • File size: 9151 KB

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • ATOS Level: 9.1
    • Interest Level: 6-12(MG+)
    • Text Difficulty: 8

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      October 15, 2015

      For centuries, pirates off the Northern Coast of Africa attacked and plundered Mediterranean commercial ships, kidnaping passengers and crew. When the United States was a new country, the government had neither money nor navy for tribute, ransom, or protection. "Purchased" peace treaties (bribes) were easily broken by tyrannical Barbary state rulers. In 1801, the Bashaw (Pasha) of Tripoli demanded exorbitant payments President Thomas Jefferson refused to pay. He was determined to use force instead of suffering the humiliation and disrespect of repeated demands for money and gifts, as well as the frustration of not being able to prevent the capture and brutal enslavement of white Americans. Ultimately, Jefferson sent ships from the newly established navy, along with marines to protect U.S. shipping and the unsteady American economy, leading the Bashaw to declare war against the United States. In this popular history of the first Tripolitan War, Kilmeade and Yeager (coauthors, George Washington's Secret Six) focus more on the daring strategies and bold actions of envoys, commodores, and marines who executed Jefferson's policy than on Jefferson himself. The authors propose to enliven the memory of the first U.S. offshore fight to oppose intimidation and lawlessness. VERDICT This work will appeal to all history readers.--Margaret Kappanadze, Elmira Coll. Lib., NY

      Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • Kindle Book
  • OverDrive Read
  • EPUB ebook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:9.1
  • Interest Level:6-12(MG+)
  • Text Difficulty:8

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