Key Battles of the Barbary War, Episode 7: An Uneasy Peace -- The Interbellum Period and the War of 1812

Key Battles of American History

History

4.7 • 861 Ratings

🗓️ 27 November 2024

⏱️ 49 minutes

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Summary

The 1807 Treaty with Tripoli ended the First Barbary War, allowing American ships to sail freely in the Mediterranean without tribute payments. This victory spurred national pride, with many Americans viewing the war as a continuation of their revolutionary ideals. However, new challenges emerged in the Atlantic as the Napoleonic Wars intensified, pressuring U.S. trade. Jefferson's attempt to protect American neutrality through an embargo on Britain and France faced domestic resistance and ultimately proved ineffective. Tensions boiled over with the Chesapeake-Leopard Affair, where a British warship attacked the U.S. Chesapeake, pushing the nations closer to conflict.

In the Mediterranean, American withdrawals left U.S. ships vulnerable, leading to renewed pirate attacks that forced the U.S. to resume tribute payments. Jefferson's preference for a small, defensive fleet backfired, and America soon found itself unable to protect its Mediterranean interests. By 1812, escalating disputes with Britain led the U.S. to declare war, hoping British preoccupation with France would offer an advantage. American victories, particularly the USS Constitution's successes and the Battle of New Orleans, bolstered U.S. morale. The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812 without territorial gains, but American resilience was solidified, and the British eventually ceased impressing American sailors.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	War has played a key role in the history of the United States, from the nation's founding
0:10.8	right down to the present. War made the U.S. independent, kept it together, increased its size,
0:17.2	and established it as a global superpower. Understanding America's wars is essential for understanding American history.
0:24.1	Welcome to Key Battles of American History,
0:26.7	a podcast in which we discuss American history
0:29.0	through the lens of the most important battles of America's wars.
0:32.8	Here is your host, James Early.
0:34.5	Thank you. host, James Early.
0:46.8	Welcome back to our series, key battles of the Barbary Wars.
0:51.9	We are going to look at what happens after the first Barbary War, some called the Tripolitanian War, because that is a chief villain there.
0:55.1	Yusuf Karamanla, the Basha of Tripoli, loses on land. Well, in the sense that he looks like he's not
1:01.1	going to be able to defend his city. He loses at sea when a naval bombardment puts him on the
1:08.1	defensive, but he sees that the Americans aren't going to stop.
1:11.1	They're going to keep coming and keep coming and keep coming.
1:13.8	So for the time being, he can't hold American prisoners and he can't keep extorting the United
1:20.1	States, America and the Barberian states work out a favorable trade deal.
1:25.0	Now we're going to take a brief break before we kick into the
1:28.3	second Barbary War. Now, I'm joined as always sometimes, sometimes of the sense that I
1:34.2	sometimes work with James early, but always for this series and then we're always talking about
1:37.8	the Barbary Wars together. How are you doing, James? I'm doing great, man. I'm ready to keep the
1:42.7	ball roll on this series. It's been a lot of fun so far.
1:46.0	Something I want to think about here, in previous series we've done, we've each had figures that have stood out to us, favorite people.
	...

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