Prompt Cast
The History of Terrorism and Piracy in the United States
TLDR Terrorism and piracy have been ongoing issues in the United States since its early days, with piracy in the Mediterranean Sea and the Barbary Wars being some of the first instances of terrorism faced by the nation. Thomas Jefferson played a key role in combating piracy by proposing the creation of a Navy and engaging in the first Barbary War.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Terrorism has been around for centuries, but it wasn't until the 1950s that it became a household word in the US, and by the 1980s, hijackings made everyone familiar with the concept of terrorists.
04:15
The United States has been dealing with terrorism since its independence, especially if piracy is considered terrorism, which has been a problem even before gaining independence from England.
07:51
The Mediterranean Sea became a haven for piracy after the Christians drove the Moors to North Africa, resulting in an estimated 20,000 people being captured and held in Algiers alone.
11:30
The United States paid tribute to Barbary governments, starting with $80,000 in 1784 and increasing to $1 million annually by 1795, which was 10% of the federal annual income, until Thomas Jefferson proposed expanding westward and using the money to build a Navy instead.
15:04
Thomas Jefferson, who succeeded Benjamin Franklin as America's first diplomat to France, believed that paying tribute to the Barbary governments was not the way to go and instead proposed building a Navy to protect the fledgling nation.
18:34
Thomas Jefferson, who already had a dislike for the Barbary States, decided to take action against them by building a Navy and engaging in the first Barbary War from 1801 to 1805, during which the USS Philadelphia was captured but later recaptured and burned by Lieutenant Stephen Decatur and his Marines.
22:09
The first Barbary War lasted from 1801 to 1805, mostly with Tripoli, and Thomas Jefferson took a different approach than James Monroe in the Second Barbary War, using a larger Navy to aggressively attack Tunis and Algiers and ultimately refusing to pay them any more money.
25:46
America's first terrorist threat was from pirates, specifically the red beards.
29:22
No relevant information to summarize.
Categories:
Society & Culture
