Why was the USA the first to deal with the Barbary Pirates? (Short Animated Documentary)

The Barbary Pirates harassed shipping across the Mediterranean for centuries and in spite of this, it wasn't a European power who struck the first blow against them. It was the Americans in the early 19th century who started their downfall after fighting two wars against them. To find out why it was the Americans that did this instead of the French, the Spanish or the British watch this short and simple animated history documentary.

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[Unhinged]

One thing you didn't mention is that the Barbery pirates also had a habit of raiding the shores of any nation that didn't pay up. their shallow draft boats where perfect for costal raiding... not so good for going trans Atlantic meaning that they could never launch reprisal raids on the U.S. who could show up, shoot up the coasts and then go home without fear of being followed.

[edsr]

Fun fact: after captain Phillips was freed from Somali pirates in 2009, the US Navy arrested the single surviving pirate and had him transported back to the U.S. for prosecution. He was prosecuted and sentenced based on the anti-piracy laws that Congress enacted to fight the Barbary pirates. The first in 180 or so years.

[ArkadiBolschek]

Another thing that I think should have been mentioned: the various Barbary states, though largely independent, were technically vassals of the Ottoman Empire, which meant that if you tried to "deal with them" effectively, the Ottomans could declare war on you. This was a big deterrent for Europeans; not so much for the US, who were a whole ocean away and thus relatively safe from retaliation. The European nations only started invading/suppressing the Barbary states once Ottoman power started to wane.

[-socialcredit]

The US and Sweden fighting off pirates in North Africa sounds like some weird timeline from one of my Victoria 2 playthroughs

[maskthemney]

I like how interconnected history is: the US fighting a small war in the early 19th century winds up somehow snowballing into France having to bring back de Gaulle because of a losing war in the mid 20th century. Never would have even guessed that.

[espanadorada]

I think it’s worth pointing out that the short intro to their crimes (they raided ships, stole cargo, sold crews into “bondage”) is a vast understatement. This piracy had been going on for centuries and was really centered around slavery. Initially it focused on enslaving people taken from their homes near the coasts and did over time move towards enslaving ship’s crews, though coastal raids never stopped. Though I realize it’s not really the focus of the video, the centuries of horrible crimes inflicted on people by these pirates really did feel almost purposefully minimized here which I found strange.

[ein-veh]

I'd always wondered why the US Marines ended up so far from home so early in the country's history.

[Asahamana]

Even more fun fact! That Swedish ship was send back to Sweden to help fight in the Russo-Swedish war of 1808-1809. The ship was able to free the island of Gotland from Russians. The Russians fled once they noticed the Swedish we're coming. The Swedes only lost a man because he fell from the mast.

I just find it cute how the Sweden was trying to stop the Barbary Pirates with one ship.

[WolfA]

The United States Marine Corps Hymn's first verse mentions the Barbary war "from the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli..." and the Marine Officer sword was adopted from the actions taken during the Marines' landing in Tripoli.

[generalsmite]

Fun fact, the US only had a few ships at the time of the first war manly because it was a big issue as many saw a navy as imperialistic. They actually were lent gun boats from Naples to help in the fighting. After the war of 1812 the Navy became a point of national pride and they started building battleships. So when they went back to North Africa they had a lot more firepower

[JaxYTB]

I've always found this conflict so funny thinking that Jefferson said "you know what? Let's go blow up the Barbary ports because nobody else will"

[corgrapes]

Minor details like "James 'he's mad, son' Maddison" at 2:12 are one of the best things in these videos.

[Nikkidafox]

I had heard about the Barbary Wars before, but never quite knew why no other state had just stopped them.
I never considered that it was for a simple reason: Britain wanted them to live.

[staffan-]

Wow, as a Swede I had no idea that Sweden took part in the fight against the Barbary pirates. And I usually recognize everything on this channel that involves Sweden. Neat!

[MDR-hnyz]

Fun fact-the opening line of the US Marines hymn states: “
From the halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli. We fight our countries battles, on the land, on air and sea.”

The shores of Tripoli paying respect to the fight against the Barbary Coast pirates by the US Marines.

Semper Fi🇺🇸

[mikeg]

The famous US raid against the Barbary Pirates in 1803 was to recapture or burn an American ship that had been seized. It’s immortalized in the Marine Corp Hymn: “to the shores of Tripoli.”

[killerad]

The Barbary coast pirates even raided as far as the British isles. There are tales of them scooping up entire coastal villages. Younger females were sold into harems and sexual slavery while males were sold as slave labour or galley slaves. It's estimated that the Barbary coast pirates enslaved up to 1.2 million Europeans over the course of their existence, with most never living to see home again.

[AlexWest]

There is a famous phrase in Spanish related to the Barbary pirates: "No hay moros en la costa, " which translates to "There are no Moors on the coast." Essentially, it is used to indicate that a place is safe, as in the past, many Spaniards were assaulted and abducted by these pirates.

[thomasguiral]

I appreciate seeing this topic being covered, however as a french, it sort of upsets me to see the role of the Barbary pirates being downplayed as just ''harassing ships''. They didn't do just that. They would also raid the coasts for slaves who would then be sold into slavery in Africa, and it lasted, as in the video, late into History. I have no idea why this wouldn't get brought up, these weren't just petty pirates.

[houcinanane]

Great video as always but there's one mistake 0:33 this isn't Algiers this is Tripoli