The Wars of the Barbary Pirates: To the shores of Tripoli: the rise of the US Navy and Marines: No. 66 (Essential Histories) - Softcover

"The Wars of the Barbary Pirates is 90 pages of highly informative military history. Readers interesed in early American history or the beginning of the US Navy will find it informative. True to its series' namesake, it covers an essential part of history that isn't well know, yet it is a significant and formative part of America's rise onto the world state. Readers with an interest in this period won't want to miss it." --Mike Dorn, Wargamer "...this is a superlative book filled with artwork of the period for illustration and excellent maps to help us envision the operations against these pirates. It is a book that I found thoroughly engrossing and I'm sure you will as well." --Scott Van Aken, modelingmadness.com

The wars against the Barbary pirates not only signaled the determination of the United States to throw off its tributary status, liberate its citizens from slavery in North Africa, and reassert its right to trade freely upon the seas: they enabled America to regain its sense of national dignity. The wars also served as a catalyst for the development of a navy with which America could project its newly acquired power thousands of miles away. By the time the fighting was over the young republic bore the unmistakable marks of a nation destined to play a major role in international affairs.