The Barbary Wars: American Independence in the Atlantic World [Paperback]

Frank Lambert (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0809028115 | ISBN-13: 978-0809028115 | Publication Date: January 9, 2007 | Edition: 1st

The history of America's conflict with the piratical states of the Mediterranean runs through the presidencies of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and Madison; the adoption of the Constitution; the Quasi-War with France and the War of 1812; the construction of a full-time professional navy; and, most important, the nation's haltering steps toward commercial independence. Frank Lambert's genius is to see in the Barbary Wars the ideal means of capturing the new nation's shaky emergence in the complex context of the Atlantic world.
 
Depicting a time when Britain ruled the seas and France most of Europe, The Barbary Wars proves America's earliest conflict with the Arabic world was always a struggle for economic advantage rather than any clash of cultures or religions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For those in search of lessons for today, Lambert's crisp and readable narrative makes clear that it took a combination of patient diplomacy, military force, and good luck to make the Atlantic and Mediterranean worlds safe for U.S. commerce. One suspects that all three factors are needed again now." --Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs
 
"Does an excellent job of placing the Barbary Wars within the context of their time." --The Roanoke Times

About the Author

Frank Lambert teaches history at Purdue University and is the author of The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America, Inventing the "Great Awakening," and Pedlar in Divinity: George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737-1770.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Hill and Wang; 1st edition (January 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809028115
• ISBN-13: 978-0809028115
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #390,308 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #82 in Books > History > Africa > North Africa

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accurate review of important phase of American history, October 8, 2005

By 

James Osborn (Vineyard Haven, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barbary Wars: American Independence in the Atlantic World (Hardcover)

Lambert's book provides just enough detail to understand the historical context and understand the motivation of the pirate communities of North Africa at that time.
One can see from this aspect of early foreign policy how the Articles of Confederation were insufficient for the young republic, for the United States didn't even have the power to tax so as to raise a navy to fight the Barbary threat. The book also explains how the Barbary Wars fit into the changing relationship with Great Britain and France, the impressment of seamen, and the events that led to the War of 1812.
Those who are reading or have read any of the Patrick O'Brian "Master and Commander" books, Lambert's book is likewise relevant, for these books are all talking about the same historical time period and geographic location.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unanachronistic, November 16, 2005

By 

R. Albin (Ann Arbor, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barbary Wars: American Independence in the Atlantic World (Hardcover)

Lambert is a well known scholar who has written very good scholarly monographs on religion in colonial America and politics in the Revolution. Recently, he has been producing well written and well grounded books on historical topics of current relevance aimed at a wider readership. He wrote a very good book on religion in the Colonial, Revolutionary, and early Republican periods. He has now produced a solid book on the Barbary Wars. These episodes from the early history of our Republic have been the subject of some recent books and journalism because of our abrupt and somewhat involuntary close involvement with the Muslim world. Lambert points out that most of these publications suffer from anachronistic perspectives, saying more about the present than the past. I've read one of the books he references, Joseph Wheelan's misleading Jefferson's War, and I agree with his polite but negative assessment of this recent literature.
Lambert provides a well written and documented analysis of the background of the Barbary Wars. He provides a good overview of the nature of piracy in the Barbary States, its role in the international system of the time, and the nature of the particular challenge it presented to the young USA. Lambert does equally well in covering the relevant political and cultural history of American responses to the Barbary States, including a good view of the relevant party politics. There is a good discussion of the major American actors, like Jefferson, and a nice concise narrative of the wars themselves. For Lambert, the Barbary Wars were partly wars of economic necessity for the fledgling USA and partly driven by ideology. The nature of the ideological conflict was not religous, however, but instead driven by the American republican ideology that emphasized free trade and American independence.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Barbary Wars - Political Intrigue, October 7, 2005

By 

Kerry O. Burns - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barbary Wars: American Independence in the Atlantic World (Hardcover)

Mr. Lambert has written a thoroughly enjoyable and informative book on America's involvment in the Barbary Wars. What is so fascinating is the relevance to todays events. The talk of Holy Wars, Infidels, and the total lack of cultural understanding between Muslims and Christians. The book is not a blow by blow military strategem. The actual battles are contained in a few pages but the buildup and political intrigue is what makes this a fascinating story. The emergence of the US Navy and a country willing to fight for it's rights are the emotional core of the book. There are American heroes, Stephen Decatuer and overboard Americana exuberance but ultimately what makes the book so compelling is the process of a nation trying to do the right thing and finding it's courage in the process.