The Barbary Wars, Part 2: The Philadelphia is Lost

The New Nation
Written By Tom Hand

On May 10, 1801, Tripoli declared war on the United States, hoping to coerce President Thomas Jefferson to increase tribute payments, but Jefferson felt the honor of the United States was at stake and he refused. Instead, Jefferson sent Commodore Richard Dale and a small fleet of American frigates to impose a blockade of Tripoli. In September 1803, to better prosecute the war, additional warships were sent to the Mediterranean under the command of Captain Edward Preble along with a star-studded cast of future naval heroes including Oliver Hazard Perry, Issac Hull, Stephen Decatur, and John Rodgers. But before Preble’s fleet was on station and aggressive action could be taken, one of the American ships, the frigate USS Philadelphia under Captain William Bainbridge, met with disaster. 

Tom Hand, creator and publisher of Americana Corner, discusses the fate of the USS Philadelphia and why it still matters today.

Images courtesy of the Wikimedia, National Gallery of Art, Naval History and Heritage Command, National Gallery of Art, British Library, Toledo Museum of Art, USS Constitution Museum, National Portrait Gallery - Smithsonian Institution, Yale University Art Gallery.

RELATED ARTICLES
The Barbary Wars, Part 2: The Philadelphia is Lost
The Barbary Wars, Part 2: The Philadelphia is Lost

Soon after Thomas Jefferson was sworn in as our country’s third president on March 4, 1801, Yusuf Karamanli, the Pasha of Tripoli, decided to renounce the existing treaty his North African province had with the United States. Unhappy with the amount of his annual tribute and feeling under-compensated compared to his fellow tyrant, the Dey of Algiers, Karamanli demanded that the new President give him a one-time gift of $250,000 and an annual tribute of $20,000.

Americana Corner’s 250th Article Launches Barbary Wars Series
Americana Corner’s 250th Article Launches Barbary Wars Series

The Treaty of Paris of 1783 that ended the American Revolution, brought the United States its long-desired liberty and independence from Great Britain. But with that separation came the loss of protection on the high seas for American merchant ships by the Royal Navy. And the removal of that security blanket had painful and expensive consequences for the young country which were first felt several thousand miles away, in the waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

The End of the Quasi-War
The End of the Quasi-War

The only fighting in the Quasi-War occurred at sea, and mostly in the Caribbean. But with war at a fever pitch and French interests so close by in Louisiana, there was a very real concern in Congress about a possible French invasion of the United States from the west. 

The Quasi-War with France
The Quasi-War with France

Between 1798 and 1800, the United States fought an undeclared war with France called the Quasi-War, or Half War, because it was not formally recognized by Congress. It was largely a naval conflict fought in the Caribbean and southern coast of America and developed because of a series of related events that soured the formerly strong relationship between the two nations.

Relations with France Fall Apart
Relations with France Fall Apart

America’s first armed conflict with a foreign nation following the American Revolution was not the War of 1812, but rather a mostly forgotten fight called the Quasi-War. Although little known today, in its time it made a significant impact on the course of American history, affecting trade, the creation of the United States Navy, and a presidential election. 

Tom Hand
Next

The Barbary Wars, Part 1: Pirates of the Mediterranean