Barbary Pirates

From From the Shores of Tripoli to the Tigris: In 1785, many Americans urged their government to follow the European practice of bribing the pirates of the Barbary States, but Jefferson believed that paying off pirates would only encourage them. America’s first foreign war was fought in the Middle East. After trying and failing to form an international coalition against Barbary, Jefferson sent the U.S. Navy to battle the pirates in 1801. American forces suffered many setbacks before 1805, when the Marines marched to “the shores of Tripoli” and defeated the enemy’s army. America has pursued similar goals in the