The First Barbary War

The First Barbary War (1801–1805) was the United States’ first overseas military conflict and a defining moment in the development of American foreign policy. Naval historian Abby Mullen provides a look at this often-forgotten war in which the country sought to protect its merchant ships from the Barbary corsairs operating along the North African coast. American leaders faced difficult choices about diplomacy, naval power, and the price of peace.