Barbary Wars Summary

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Dominik Severino HI 410 Dr. Moore 2/16/12 The Barbary Wars The Barbary Wars were one of many struggles for the growing nation of America during its long lasting bout for Independence. The author, Frank Lambert, takes in depths look into generalities formed through specific events throughout this time period. Lambert argues the belief that these wars were fought because of economic and mercantile reasons rather than the notion that they were religious wars. “The Barbary Wars were primarily about trade, not theology, and rather than being holy wars, they were an extension of America’s War for Independence” (Lambert 22). This brings into account why the book is subtitled “American Independence in the Atlantic World”. The nation was looking…show more content…
To achieve this America first had to rid itself of the Navigation Acts. New England would set the tone; “Massachusetts bay officials regarded the colony as a “free state” subject only to laws of their making” (Lambert31). America’s fight for independence in the Atlantic started with its fight for independence politically first. Parliament enacted acts such as the Sugar and Stamp Act to try and combat these issues of American trade smuggling. But Americans were not backing down; in fact it was the exact opposite. John Jays letter to Parliament and Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” were two amongst many publishing’s strongly stating that ties from Britain would mean the flourishing of free trade for America. America, with the assistance of France, would soon gain this independence politically and would soon look into commercial trade as a crucial issue. Through Benjamin Franklins views, Americans believed that “the War of Independence was as much about guaranteeing commercial freedom as it was about securing natural rights”(Lambert 40). However much they thought Independence politically would translate to the trading world Americans would soon find that “demanding a full measure of independence at home, they would undermine the independence of America in the Atlantic world” (Lambert…show more content…
It was treaty after treaty trying to avoid warfare and give all countries an identical playing field. America, while struggling for independence in the Atlantic, finally achieved their goals through warfare. The triumphs at Tripoli and the Algiers “had allowed the United States to attain the long-sought goal of extending its independence to the high seas” (Lambert 211). The Algerian War ended the thirty year process of America trying to rid itself of piracy from the Barbary States. This now showed that the US, through the actions of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison, was not only an autonomous trading power in the Atlantic, but also “matched its place in the world with its national boasts” (Lambert
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