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...

"A fluent, intelligent history...give[s] the reader a feel for the human quirks and harsh demands of life at sea."—New York Times Book Review

Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders—particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams—debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship?...

Dawn like Thunder: The Barbary Wars and the Birth of the U.S. Navy, first published in 1963, is the definitive account of the fledgling Navy and Marine Corps of the United States in the early 1800s. The book details the struggle of American ships such as the USS Constitution and Constellation against the pirates and Muslim warlords of the Mediterranean and North Africa in what would become known as the Barbary Wars. Also covered are the key players...

Relates the circumstances of the United States' involvement with the Barbary States of North Africa in the early years of the nineteenth century.

In memory of Robert St. Clair.

This book recounts one of the greatest raids in American military history--an event that propelled Stephen Decatur to international renown.