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Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War that Changed American History

Brian Kilmeade,

Don Yaeger

3.76 · Rating details · 12,882 ratings · 1,635 reviews

From the authors of the New York Times bestseller George Washington’s Secret Six , the little-known story of Thomas Jefferson’s battle to defend America against Islamic pirates.

Brian Kilmeade – cohost of “Fox & Friends” on Fox News and the national radio show “Kilmeade & Friends” – returns with another fascinating historical narrative, co-written with Don Ya From the authors of the New York Times bestseller George Washington’s Secret Six , the little-known story of Thomas Jefferson’s battle to defend America against Islamic pirates.

Brian Kilmeade – cohost of “Fox & Friends” on Fox News and the national radio show “Kilmeade & Friends” – returns with another fascinating historical narrative, co-written with Don Yaeger. Like their acclaimed bestseller George Washington's Secret Six, Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates sheds new light on a vitally important episode that has been forgotten by most Americans.

Only weeks after President Jefferson's inauguration in 1801, he decided to confront the Tripoli pirates who had been kidnapping American ships and sailors, among other outrageous acts. Though inclined toward diplomacy, Jefferson sent warships to blockade Tripoli and protect American shipping, and then escalated to all-out war against the Barbary states.

The tiny American flotilla—with three frigates representing half of the U.S. Navy’s top-of-the-line ships—had some success in blockading the Barbary coast. But that success came to an end when the USS Philadelphia ran aground in Tripoli harbor and was captured. Kilmeade and Yaeger recount the dramatic story of a young American sailor, Stephen Decatur, who snuck into the harbor, boarded the Philadelphia, and set her on fire before escaping amid a torrent of enemy gunfire.

Another amazing story is that of William Eaton’s daring attack on the port city of Derna. He led a detachment of Marines on a 500-mile trek across the desert to surprise the port. His strategy worked, and an American flag was raised in victory on foreign soil for the first time.

Few remember Decatur and Eaton today, but their legacy inspired the opening of the Marine Corps Hymn: “From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli, we fight our country’s battles in the air, on land, and sea.”

Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates tells a dramatic story of bravery, diplomacy, and battle on the high seas, and honors some of America’s forgotten heroes. ...more

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Hardcover, 238 pages

Published November 3rd 2015 by Sentinel

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Dec 22, 2015 Jeff rated it it was ok

Shelves: history

The positive: this book covers a very interesting period in US history and the writing style isn't bad.

The negative: this is terrible history, not by what it includes but because of what it leaves out. Which either means the authors don't know American history very well or are being intentionally dishonest to sell a story.

The intent seems to be to cast Jefferson as a modern Republican or Fox News pundit.

A few illustrations: they make a point to draw attention to Jefferson's disdain for Islam The positive: this book covers a very interesting period in US history and the writing style isn't bad.

The negative: this is terrible history, not by what it includes but because of what it leaves out. Which either means the authors don't know American history very well or are being intentionally dishonest to sell a story.

The intent seems to be to cast Jefferson as a modern Republican or Fox News pundit.

A few illustrations: they make a point to draw attention to Jefferson's disdain for Islam by pointing out that he relegated his copy of the Koran on his shelf with Greek and Roman mythology. See, he's just a good Muslim-hating Christian. But they fail to point out that he kept the Bible in the same category. He hated all organized religion and especially anything mystical. He cut his own bible up to remove all the miracles and anything referring to Jesus as God. He had no more contempt for Islam than any other religion including Christianity. A good history would point that out...this book hides that fact to make him look like the Fox News readers they are selling to. Bad history.

Secondly, they attempt to point out how horrid it was that the pirates of the North African coast felt justified in kidnapping Christian sailors since they weren't Muslim. They used their religion to defend slavery...who can imagine?! Seriously, they try to portray the idea of slavery defended by religion as uniquely Muslim. They don't point out that the historical context was that a couple hundred miles down the coast Christian traders were taking kidnapped Africans across the ocean based on the same religious excuses...except from the Bible. It's not about one being worse than the other or one making the other okay. It's about terrible historical writing to be that dishonest about the reality of the times. Again, simply bad history.

Third, the pirates of the Barbary coast are again cast as terrible thieves totally unique in their time and that way because of Islam. The authors report however that one of the American commanders, very glowingly in their report, got his start on the sea as a privateer...they conveniently don't explain what that is...it's a pirate. They leave out the fact that privateering was something all the nations of Europe and America itself were openly involved in...piracy on the sea against nations they felt like they could get away with robbing. Again, it's not about that being okay or "two wrongs making a right" it's about terrible and dishonest history. The pirates of the Barbary coast were bad and ultimately got what they deserved. But their piracy had nothing to do with Islam any more than Blackbeard had to do with Christianity. It was a reality of the times.

That's just a start to give you a taste of the dishonesty.

The authors try to cast Jefferson as an enemy of Islam and proponent of a strong military. The first idea I've already commented on. The second one is even more absurd.

The Federalists, Hamilton as the strongest voice, WANTED a strong national military and navy. The Jeffersonians didn't. That was one of the main problems with the war of 1812 and the Federalist philosophy finally won out when the Jeffersonians were forced to admit that you couldn't wage war on a major scale without a real strong federal government military. These authors try cast the Federalists as somehow against a strong military and Jefferson as the force pushing for that military. Which isn't even historically debatable.

They have tried to create Jefferson in their own image and it's very convincing...as long as you don't know actual history.

I wouldn't care that much if I hadn't read so many positive reviews about the book with people super impressed how the book is supposedly such an amazing perfect fit for our current war with Islam...see, they say, it's always been like this and we need leaders like Jefferson. Not realizing that Jefferson was basically an atheist and anti-military. Hardly a guy who would get air time on Fox and Friends.

However, a lot of people don't seem to want actual history but prefer it in their own image. ...more

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Mar 05, 2017 Always Pouting rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I have a really loose grasp on history especially in terms of the timeline of events so I enjoy books like this that clear up the events happening at the same time in different places in the past. Also it's nice to get perspective on our relationship to other countries through our past with them and it really humanized those that came before us to read about their mistakes and successes. I really enjoy history books on less covered topics honestly. The only kind of eh thing was the authors "subt ...more

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Jan 09, 2016 David Monroe rated it did not like it

Shelves: fantasy, alt-history, fiction, elseworlds

Revisionist history to fuel Islamophobia.

Islamophobia at its best. This book of American 'history' by the dumbest guy on Fox and Friends attempts to paint all 18th century Muslims as slavers and pirates. This is a blatantly dishonest attempt at revisionist history in order to put forth the lie that America has been at war with Islam since its birth. I'm so happy I was sent this in a bundle of other books by the publisher, because I'd have hated myself if I'd actually paid real money for this rac ...more

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Jan 14, 2016 Rachael rated it did not like it

Book reads on a fourth grade level, diminishing complex subjects to good versus evil, hero versus coward, and Muslim versus Christian. It's pure, propagandized historic revisionism that demonizes Muslims, ridicules diplomacy, and applauds military agression...no wonder the back cover is filled with praises from military commanders and zero real historians. Maybe the author should keep made up stories where they belong: on his show on fox news. Thomas Jefferson and pirates are two of my favorite ...more

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Nov 28, 2020 Brian rated it liked it

“America’s newfound prestige was not blinded by its own power; might and mercy could work in harmony.”

My first memory of the story of the Barbary Pirates dates back to my childhood and a visit to the chain restaurant “Captain D’s”. Back then they had comic books with their children’s menu that reflected stories of the sea. One of those comics dealt with the Barbary pirates and America’s Navy. I was entranced, and my love of history was nurtured at an early age. As coincidentally was my love for ...more

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Jan 13, 2016 Jennifer (JenIsNotaBookSnob) rated it did not like it

I could not finish this book. I'm really glad that I borrowed this as an audiobook. If I would have read it, it may have taken me a bit longer to pick up on the overall tone. He spits out the word "Muslim" like it's poison. I could only listen to a few minutes of it before feeling rather uncomfortable. ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 Lyn rated it liked it

Good story, bad history.

Journalism may not be dead, but it’s on life support. It’s hard to know what to believe in; outside of the AP or Reuters, we don’t so much have news as we do commentary. Frequently everything reported is factual, BUT – not everything is reported. The omission of relevant and important information is as critical as the veracity of the reported event.

So we come to Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. I don’t watch Fox News or I would h Good story, bad history.

Journalism may not be dead, but it’s on life support. It’s hard to know what to believe in; outside of the AP or Reuters, we don’t so much have news as we do commentary. Frequently everything reported is factual, BUT – not everything is reported. The omission of relevant and important information is as critical as the veracity of the reported event.

So we come to Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger. I don’t watch Fox News or I would have recognized Kilmeade as he apparently has a show on that network. And this is not news – or at least it has not been news for over 200 years, but it is a history of the decades old confrontations between the fledgling United States and the Barbary nations, outposts of the Ottoman Empire.

Kilmeade and Yaeger tell a good tale, a page turner about the North African pirates boarding vessels and taking captives who would later become slaves. We learn about diplomacy, failed and successful, about tribute payments, about rescues of captured citizens and horrific stories of what they endured in years of captivity. We have a hero in Thomas Jefferson, an erstwhile pacifist and intellectual who was compelled to beat plowshares into swords to stand up to the raiders. The authors also describe the lives and heroics of the sailors and marines who overcame great obstacles to defend their flag and countrymen. This is a good illustration of the development and evolution of our Navy and Marines and about the early days of our foreign policy.

BUT! (in my best Joe Rogan impersonation)

There’s a lot we don’t learn about and that is where this, as history, goes off the rails. This is not an in-depth exploration about the rest of the slave trade going on down the coast to which the American vessels are also a part. We don’t delve into the great and tragic irony of our hero Jefferson, champion of human rights – who owned slaves. We learn about the savagery and theological underpinnings of the Muslim pirates – but not about the more complicated socio-economic and cultural verities going on in that time and place.

The great flaw here, as a history book, is that it is woefully one sided and it suffers because of that. Had the authors spent some more time with a bigger picture, and with a more objective lens, this still could have been a good book about heroic Jefferson and our fighting men far from home and on the shores of Tripoli (this conflict is the origin of that line) but also a more complete history and a better quality examination of this struggle.

This is not so much Saving Private Ryan as it is Rambo. We’ve got heroes and villains and (SPOILER ALERT!) the good guys win.

Still a good story, I enjoyed reading it, and would like to read more about this subject, I’d also like to read more about Jefferson and about his contributions, good and bad, to who we are now. This was fun and somewhat informative, but I’d like to read a better history.

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Feb 18, 2016 Shaun rated it it was ok

I don't usually write reviews, but man.

I really, REALLY wanted to like this book...the subject matter is fascinating. Unfortunately, the authors' melodramatic style and superficial approach to the events left me feeling like I was reading a book written for an elementary school's social studies shelf (or honestly, at times, a recruiting poster for the Marine Corps.)

On the plus side, it's motivated me to seek out more...um...scholarly books on this episode in American history. ...more

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Nov 23, 2015 Rob rated it really liked it

Shelves: military

Interesting slice of history in which, unfortunately, most Americans – well, with the exception of U.S. Marines – are unfamiliar. Understanding how the pirates from North Africa’s Barbary coast (Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Libya, fka Tripoli) operated and how their actions affected early American commerce (1785-1815) helps to explain Muslims’ contempt for the West, especially the United States. Kilmeade’s (and Yaeger’s) book is a well-written, 200-page easy read. It does a good job explaining w ...more

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Feb 10, 2016 Steve Whitaker rated it did not like it

It was my mistake. I admit it.

I didn't recognize the author's name when I bought the book. If I had, I doubt very much I would have still purchased it. Brian Kilmeade is a Fox News television host, and unfortunately appears to fit the stereotype that comes along with that role.

The book presents a chronological overview of the First Barbary War, with very little analysis or insight. Its main feature is very thinly-disguised Islamophobia, drawing parallels between the conflict of the early 19th ce ...more

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Nov 13, 2015 Gary rated it it was amazing

Finished reading this book just hours before I started to hear about all the terrorist attacks in Paris.... if there wasn't more perfect timing to totally understand the mentality of these terrorists, this book puts things into perspective as what our founding fathers experienced in the early days of our nation the 1780s thru the early 1800s. Different players but same scenario. Hopefully our leaders or our new leaders will have either read this book or at least know the history!

Otherwise we fac ...more

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Mar 08, 2016 Anna rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to Anna by: Joyce

Shelves: nf-history-bio

What a great story ... I remember this as a very brief mention in one of my American history classes and, of course there is the line in the Marine Anthem ... but I had never known the full extent of this remarkable story.

There are moments of pure comedy and actions that leave you shaking your head.
This story takes place over almost 40 years and over many administrations.
There are multiple failed attempts at diplomatic solutions, attempts to reduce the tribute, and continued acts of kidnapping ...more

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Mar 08, 2016 L.A. Starks rated it it was amazing

Great history of a little-understood time in American history.

Side note: one of the French Quarter (New Orleans) streets is named Decatur, for--it turns out--hero Stephen Decatur.

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Jun 14, 2016 Al rated it it was ok

Yet another case of a Conservative commentator with a book on the best seller means that it is the inevitable gift book coming my way. Okay, I know I am going to be biased by Kilmeade, but maybe not as much as you think. Unlike his contemporaries, I think the subject of Kilmeade's books to date are very interesting and unique.

I don't remember if the Barbary Wars were taught in school. As a history buff, I knew about them, but let's be honest, it's a part of history that hardly gets covered. Also Yet another case of a Conservative commentator with a book on the best seller means that it is the inevitable gift book coming my way. Okay, I know I am going to be biased by Kilmeade, but maybe not as much as you think. Unlike his contemporaries, I think the subject of Kilmeade's books to date are very interesting and unique.

I don't remember if the Barbary Wars were taught in school. As a history buff, I knew about them, but let's be honest, it's a part of history that hardly gets covered. Also given the co-writing credit, i suspect Yeager did the heavy lifting. (Reading the acknowledgements at the end of the book, Kilmeade points out that authoring books was a good career move for Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck, and one suspects that is his ambition)

I largely suspect that the book was born from cocktail party conversation. "Hey, did you know the US had a war against Islamic terrorists and we went to Libya and fought battles in Benghazi, and the country wasn't even 50 years old?"

Indeed, as you might suspect, Kilmeade paints the Barbary Pirates with an obvious brush. The Barbary Pirates ambition seems to be based off man's basest desires and a reading of the Koran as a source of conceit and barbarism, and painted in a way to suggest that nothing has changed in 200 years. One would probably not write a book about the Spanish inquisition and paint modern day Spain as anything different than those who ran things 500 years ago; or even writing a book about Germany and making the claim that the attitudes of modern day Germany has not evolved since 1945.

One thing that the book could use is a quick history of how the Barbary States got that way. It does not need to be lengthy (even could be wikipiedia sized) but essentially we're just told they are evil.

That's my problem with the book is that it is never sure whether to be a serious history book or an adventure read (and in that, it certainly reads more Young Adult than anything else). One suspects that the book may have originated in some cocktail conversation around the amazing and daring exploits of Stephen Decatur. Unfortunately in Kilmeade and Yeager's hands, there's not enough there to fill out an entire book.

Which is my main issue with the book. It's short to be sure, but it's a clunky book with boring stretches. Hate O'Reilly's books on history if you want, but they're not boring reads.

Jefferson hardly figures in. One assumes he's on the title because his name is there and he is a sexy choice. I am not an expert but I have read others criticisms that the book bypasses John Adams who is credited as "Father of the Navy" and passes along credit to the navy's expansion to Jefferson. This seems in line with making a better story as the authors credit Jefferson and downplay Adams- again, probably a conscious choice.

Another criticism I have seen is that the book seems to use only a couple of journals as its reference, whereas most books would rely on many primary and secondary choices. While there's probably arguments for each, this could have benefited I am sure from more reference.

The book really only covers the first Barbary War which leaves it finishing with an odd thrown together conclusion. I can only guess that would mean giving credit to James Madison for ending the war instead of Jefferson.

Of interest, the book spends a great deal of time talking about a situation where the Americans were planning on backing the brother of one of the ruling despots and planning a coup (that does not seem to materialize). I am not sure if that's good politics (see The Shah) but it does give the author some chance to undo the demonizing that he did early in the book, and does some propagandizing the other way at the end- suggesting Christians and Muslims work together toward a common goal.

Ultimately, i was not sure to give this one or two stars, usually reserving one star reviews for books I could not finish. Still, despite some potential spots of interest, I did not really end up taking much away from the book, and I suspect I will have largely forgotten its contents in a year. Once again, having a better experience reading what Wikipedia has to share on the topic, and getting it there without some obvious bias. ...more

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Dec 16, 2017 Jim rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, war, 1audio, 2non-fiction

An excellent, fairly quick overview of an overlooked portion of Thomas Jefferson's presidency & one of his many disagreements with John Adams. This is why the Marines have "Tripoli" mentioned in their song, but I had no idea how few actually participated in the battle. The diplomatic issues, lack of a navy, issues with Congress, & communication problems were all quickly & well explained. It was a fascinating story that never lagged nor confused me.

This would be appropriate for teens & up. There ...more

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Nov 03, 2015 Bill Powers rated it it was amazing

With his second historical book, Brian Kilmeade has proven he is a force to be reckoned with in writing American History. I highly recommend Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates for those interested in American History. Can't wait for Brian's next book! ...more

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Feb 18, 2018 YourLovelyMan rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: No one.

Shelves: u-s-presidential-bios, 200-pages-or-less, sea-stories

Mediocre pop history peppered with American nationalism and Islamophobia.

I read a lot about political leaders and a fair amount about pirates. Knowing nothing about the authors and their background, when I saw that my local library had this title, it caught my attention.

And that's how they get you.

Fortunately, they let you know what they're about right there in the introduction.

This is the story of how a new nation, saddled with war debt and desperate to establish credibility, was challenged by

...more

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Nov 23, 2015 Robert Barbantini rated it liked it

A bit simplistic...almost like it was meant for young kids...but interesting. Shows, once again, how things in the past are mirrored in the present.

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Jan 02, 2016 Ashley rated it it was ok

Shelves: non-fiction, historical

Don't let the two stars I awarded this book dissuade you, Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates was a very interesting account of the hostilities between the United States and the Barbary coast and the eventual war with Tripoli. While it held fascinating facts I was still disappointed with the one dimensional feel of the book overall and most of it had to do with how far these authors actually went to research it.

Remember in high school when the teacher would require a minimum of five source ...more

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Jan 18, 2016 John rated it really liked it

A fun read, almost reminded me of a Patrick O'Brian novel.

A very enjoyable way to learn about a lesser known episode in US history .

I was highly suspicious of the slant of the book based on the main author, and there was surely a degree of that, but I didn't think it overrode the facts.

The title perhaps over-emphasizes the role of Thomas Jefferson, but it makes a good "hook" to get people like me to read it.

I do recommend it. Don't get too carried away with reading lessons about modern Middle Ea ...more

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May 31, 2016 Tom Lange rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned-physical-copy, history-military, favorites

This book really hooked me being the military history buff that I am. Not to mention being a Navy Veteran. It really is a lost section of our history that can really connect the dots to understand other events that occured in the same era and beyond. It amazes me our school system does not teach more about the events discussed. This book is a no brainer pickup if your into Military History or Early US History in any way.

Don't let the reviews from those that truly just oppose the authers views o This book really hooked me being the military history buff that I am. Not to mention being a Navy Veteran. It really is a lost section of our history that can really connect the dots to understand other events that occured in the same era and beyond. It amazes me our school system does not teach more about the events discussed. This book is a no brainer pickup if your into Military History or Early US History in any way.

Don't let the reviews from those that truly just oppose the authers views on modern politics pursade you away. No matter what side of the political fence your on. Have an open mind because the book isn't politically biased like some would make you think. When I read those reviews I am left wondering if they even read the same book or even finished it?

One reviewer claimed it was the authors attempt to make Jefferson a modern Republican. Not once in the book was any connection made to such a thing. The book is zeroed in on one single event and issue of the day and does not discuss any other platform issues at all.

Yet another reviewer claimed it was a modern conservatives viewpoint to display that "Diplomacy = Bad, War = Good". First, if you believe a conservative believes this, you show your hand that you have been missinformed by your media. The book through the events of history only show that Terror does not Equal Diplomacy and you can't have diplomacy if one side does not believe in such things. The book details that Diplomacy was always the first, second, seventh thing you try. If you can, always try diplomacy first. The Barbery States over and over used Diplomacy as leverage to gain wealth while disregarding every agreement we had agreed upon. They would take hostage and hold people for ransom like thugs. This is not Diplomacy or people you can have "lasting" or "real" Diplomacy with.

Another reviewer didn't know the difference between Privateer's and Pirates, yet wanted to be a critic to the auther's "understanding" of history. History that is well sourced from ships logs, legislation on public record, biography's, and more.

Oddly enough, everyone that said the writing was bad were also the same folks that decided to hit the author for being a conservative or a personality on Fox News. Interesting. That seems to be a pretty common in reviews for political books from those that disagree with the politics of the book. First, this book is not about politics. Second, the book is very well written. I consumed it very fast as it was packed with new knowledge and at times read like an adventure. Never did I have to take pause and re-read something because it was poorly written. It's not "4th grade level". Funny how when they hit you, it's always "4th grade level". Is it Hamlet? Hell no. Not every book is meant to be, and if every history non-fiction was written in poetic form, I would not know any history at all. That is just a silly arguement that makes one feel better by being an online bully.

Most other hate reviews claim the book is just a form of hate speech Islamaphobia. From reading how they base that account is basically due to how they use the words Muslim or Islam at all. The only damning things said about Islam were things qouted from the Muslim leadership on why they would do what they did. That being said, my real question is, did they even finish the book or read it at all? The last half of the book is dedicated to the story of how Muslims and Americans fought TOGETHER to restore peace. To be placed under the leadership and RIGHTFUL rule of a good Muslim man. How alliances and friendships that for the most part have lasted until today when Muslim and Christian leaders sat down and agreed that both religions have simularities and both are religions of peace. If the book is anti-anything, it is anti-Militiant Islam Terror.

If you come out of your safe rooms long enough to actually digest what the book is actually about, it is very interesting. The birth of our first Navy. The nations first battle on foriegn soil. The nations first steps in international diplomacy. The nations first display that we can take care of ourselves and we will if we have too. How personal relationships on a personal level have and had such an effect on global scales.

The part that was the most amazing is learning of hero's that should be household names that even to a military history buff like myself, I had never heard their names let alone their exploits. Namely S. Decatur, in my mind was our first Frogman Special Forces operative. If this guy was not a Navy SEAL before we had SEAL's, I don't know who was. In the end, read this book and ignore your pre-set modern politics and issues with the author. Even more so if your into Military History. ...more

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Jan 09, 2019 Scott Rhee rated it it was ok

Shelves: nonfiction, history

Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger’s second foray into historical nonfiction, “Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates” is, I’m not going to lie, a page-turner. I would be completely untruthful if I said that I wasn’t enthralled by the story, a piece of naval history of which I was not knowledgable. (This isn’t saying much, as I am not knowledgable about a lot of American history, sad to say.)

It’s a riveting tale of a young country and a new president forced to make decisions that may give the new c Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger’s second foray into historical nonfiction, “Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates” is, I’m not going to lie, a page-turner. I would be completely untruthful if I said that I wasn’t enthralled by the story, a piece of naval history of which I was not knowledgable. (This isn’t saying much, as I am not knowledgable about a lot of American history, sad to say.)

It’s a riveting tale of a young country and a new president forced to make decisions that may give the new country a legitimacy among its more experienced global partners or may backfire with painful repercussions that will be felt for centuries or may do both.

It’s the story of Thomas Jefferson, who, before becoming the third president, was Secretary of State under President George Washington. As SecState, Jefferson dealt with international affairs and imbroglios. One of those imbroglios involved pirates from the Barbary Coast (the Northern African countries of Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli---today, known (respectively) as Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya).

Pirate ships from these countries would often raid American and European ships, stealing goods and even people to use as slave labor or ransom. More often than not, these Barbary Coast countries would force countries to pay a tribute---i.e. a “protection fee”---to prevent pirates from attacking. Paying the tribute, of course, was no guarantee that they wouldn’t attack, and for countries like the U.S., which as a fledgling democracy had limited funds to begin with, the tribute could often be more than what they earned in trade.

It was a lose-lose situation. Unfortunately, President Washington was against the formation of a navy, as he felt the country was still reeling from the Revolutionary War. Putting money into warships, he felt, was money that could be spent elsewhere. Jefferson disagreed, but his voice would be in the minority for several years, until his election in 1801.

The build-up of the U.S. Navy was a risky move on Jefferson’s part, as many people still felt as Washington felt. Jefferson deemed it necessary, however, and after several humiliating and tragic incidents, history would prove Jefferson right.

Kilmeade/Yaeger’s book is well-written and exciting. I don’t have a problem with the book’s facts, mainly because I’m not a historian. Here’s the thing, though: neither are Kilmeade and Yaeger.

In the right hands, this book could have been a tremendously valuable examination of the importance of the military, the proper time and place to use military force, of our country’s early entanglement with Islamic nations and the reverberations that our dealings with the Barbary Coast nations had in modern-day African and Middle Eastern Islamic states, and our nation’s sordid history in supporting leaders to gain footholds in regions for political and monetary gain.

In Kilmeade/Yaeger’s hands, however, the book reads like propaganda. Of course, it reads like it because it is propaganda, plain and simple. Here’s one way to tell: try to find any mention, anywhere in the book, of the fact that Jefferson owned slaves. Indeed, had an affair with one of his slaves. Hell, try to find any mention of the fact of the slave trade at all, which was a significant percentage of the American trade routes in the Mediterranean. It’s almost offensive how easily Kilmeade/Yaeger gloss over anything to do with slavery and the treatment of black slaves, especially in a book which attempts to garner sympathy for white Americans being kidnapped by Muslim pirates to be used as slave labor.

Their last book, “George Washington’s Secret Six” didn’t feel like it was pushing a particular agenda. It may have, but it didn’t feel like it.

This one clearly does, and it’s obvious that Kilmeade (a member of the FOXNews family) is using this esoteric (albeit fascinating) historical event to parallel the modern-day conservative platform of promoting a strong military budget in order to defeat the rise of Islam. But don’t take my word for it. He says it, plain and simple, on page 203: “Most important, here in the twenty-first century, the broader story---the great confrontation between the United States and militant Islamic states---has a new significance.”

I love history. I love how history shows us how people and events and differing viewpoints throughout the years shape our culture and make us learn about ourselves.

What Kilmeade/Yaeger have done, though, is try to shape events to fit our current culture. It’s the opposite of history, actually. ...more

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Jun 15, 2016 SeaShore rated it really liked it

'It rests with Congress to decide between war, tribute, and ransom as the means of re-establishing our Mediterranean Commerce.'
----Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson, December 30, 1790.

He returned to Virginia in November 1789 after being away for five years. President George Washington had chosen him to be this newly created post, even though Jefferson was in Europe at the time.
As Secretary of State,(1790-1793) he would have to administer the entire government.
He stayed for Martha's wedding in ...more

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Jun 29, 2019 Frank Stein rated it liked it

It's sloppy and a little tedious and doesn't even try to give both sides of the stories or battles, but the book is still worth reading because there's an incredible story inside it.

Beginning in 1785, dozens of Americans began to be captured each year off the "Barbary Coast," the Southern coast of the Mediterranean, which hosted four self-avowed pirate nations, Morocco, Algiers, Tunisia, and Tripoli (today's Libya). These nations subsisted off a steady diet of "tribute" paid by wealthy nations t It's sloppy and a little tedious and doesn't even try to give both sides of the stories or battles, but the book is still worth reading because there's an incredible story inside it.

Beginning in 1785, dozens of Americans began to be captured each year off the "Barbary Coast," the Southern coast of the Mediterranean, which hosted four self-avowed pirate nations, Morocco, Algiers, Tunisia, and Tripoli (today's Libya). These nations subsisted off a steady diet of "tribute" paid by wealthy nations to prevent capture of their ships, and ransom from the nations or ships that couldn't pay in advance. Once America lost the umbrella of the British empire, these nations captured American merchant ships and put the men to slave labor on their rulers' (alternately known to the West as beys, deys, or bashaws (the author's don't even try to learn their actual Arabic names)) palaces and work sites. Beginning in 1792, Congress authorized tens of thousands of dollars to buy-off the rulers and release the captives, and began signing treaties with them in 1796. But also, in 1794, encouraged by former Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, they started a navy, at first six frigates of up to 44 guns, to fight the pirates.

When one of those frigates, the USS George Washington, was sent both to pay tribute and to demonstrate American prowess in 1800, it was turned by the pirates into a ferry for sheep and camels to Constantinople. Finally, in 1801, now President Jefferson sent four ships to the Mediterranean to fight. The next year, after authorization by Congress, he sent more. By 1804 they had suffered some losses and inflicted some, and one William Eaton had led men on a six hundred mile march to capture a town just East of Benghazi, with the help of a disaffected relative of the ruling Tripolitan leader. But they still had to pay tribute to rescue even more captives caught in the battles and reestablish peace. In 1815, they finally returned to finish off the Barbary Coast once and for all, and, this time, a mere display of might did it.

The authors play up this story as part of an old conflict between the "Muslim world" and a rising American empire, but do nothing to see what it was like on the other side. Even if we should celebrate the American victory here, it would help to know about their opponent. Nonetheless, the book brings back a forgotten but important story, and a few stirring scenes. ...more

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May 17, 2016 Mike rated it it was ok

I didn't realize until after I read it that this was written by the brown-haired-guy-who's-not-Steve-Doocy...I never thought I'd read a book by a Fox and Friends host, but here we are. It was a quick read, and served the purpose of telling me a bit about something I really knew nothing about. I probably would have a firmer understanding had I just read a Wikipedia article, though. And it is odd that anyone could write how the slavery of the American prisoners was particularly humiliating to them ...more

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Mar 29, 2016 Judd Vance rated it it was ok

I figure folks are going to like or hate this book based on their political affiliations and love/hate of Fox News. I have no dog in this fight as I do not watch it and vote 3rd party. This was a gift to me and I was interested in learning something about the topic. So now that that is out of the way, on to the book.
Did I learn something? Yeah. I knew next to nothing about the topic. I now understand the reference to Tripoli in the Marine's Hymn.
The writing style is probably considered "narrativ I figure folks are going to like or hate this book based on their political affiliations and love/hate of Fox News. I have no dog in this fight as I do not watch it and vote 3rd party. This was a gift to me and I was interested in learning something about the topic. So now that that is out of the way, on to the book.
Did I learn something? Yeah. I knew next to nothing about the topic. I now understand the reference to Tripoli in the Marine's Hymn.
The writing style is probably considered "narrative" history, but this is not up to the quality of, say, Walter Borneman or Allen Eckert, writers who narrate history to various degrees. This reads like a news cast -- and trust me, I'm trying to be neutral in regards to Klimeade's day job. As an example, you are reading a chapter and it ends with something that feels like, "Little did he know his dreams were about to sink to the bottom of the Mediterranean along with his ship. Du-du-du!!! [dramatic music], stay tuned after these messages..." I'm being a bit over-the-top, but you get the point: that stuff just pisses me off. If I am well versed on the topic, I won't be reading a light book like this. Instead, I am going to go for a more scholarly approach. But since I didn't know the topic, I didn't want the next chapter spoiled. That's half the fun of reading history. So these antics are a sore spot with me.
The next problem concerned some historical errors. I spot errors all the time in basketball history books I read. I get that. It's a niche topic. I have learned to live with it. But I don't want factual errors in my U.S. history. I am not a scholarly historian, but I do consider it a passion. That is why I read it instead of write it. If you are going to write it, you should be versed enough in the topic to not make some of the errors I see here. For example, Kilmeade/Yaeger talk about the death of Thomas Jefferson's daughter and how Abigail Adams' sympathetic letter started the reconciliation between Jefferson and her husband John Adams. On the contrary, the letter continued the festering. How do I know this? Because I am an avid reader Joseph Ellis books. Anyone writing on the founding fathers should know that you should be familiar with Ellis' writings, as he is one of the foremost modern authorities on the topic. This tidbit I mention is not obscure information and a minimal amount of research turns this up.
Admittedly, this factoid is a throwaway point compared to the topic in the book. However, hitting more closely to home, the authors seem like they have a need to paint Jefferson as a superhero of American history, who supported war while the cowardly John Adams wanted to dismantle the navy. Um, actually, that's close to OPPOSITE of the truth. Yes, he is on Mt. Rushmore, but Jefferson was hardly infallible. Again, the main part of the story is the naval action in the Mediterranean Sea, but getting the political background right is foundational to the story.
So the history has some shoddy parts in it. It wasn't a deal-breaker in terms of the main part of the story, but there is a little too much, "Rah, rah, 'Merica!" in it. 200+ years after the fact, just report the facts, ok?
The ending was a bit unsettling, also, in terms of passing judgement on Tobias Lear and painting him as some type of mustache-twirling villainous diplomat trying to ruin the righteous war. What happened at Derne was pretty amazing, but let's face it, frontal assaults do not have a particularly good record of success. The battle cost 28% of the U.S. Marine force and they still had to take Benghazi and Tripoli and Sidi Hamet did not seem to inspire followers.
I didn't get Kilmeade/Yaeger's book on Washington's spy ring because I already read Alexander Rose's book on the topic and he's pretty much the authority. I see my choice was confirmed. I have read some of Yaeger's sports books, namely his George Karl and Walter Payton book. I would recommend those, but I will probably steer clear of his attempts at American History.
I don't regret reading this: it was quick and I did learn something, but put in the hands of someone like Walter Borneman, this would have been a lot better (and more accurate). ...more

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Nov 25, 2015 Michelle rated it really liked it

I drew a lot of parallels between the past and the present while reading this. Here are one or two:

P 16 (paragraph relating argument between statesmen John Adams & Thomas Jefferson) "Adams disagreed. He believed. . . . . unless We determine to fight them forever." *We make the same arguments now that Adams & Jefferson made in 1789

Muslim pirates took prisoners, enslaving them. Barbary states demanded tribute. European nations paid. America did not and were more likely to be taken prisoner. Today, ...more

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Jan 10, 2016 Jean rated it really liked it

Shelves: history, audio-book, biography, non-fiction, military-history

In the 1700’s and early 1800’s pirates or corsairs raided along the Barbary Coast (off what are now Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco. The pirates raided merchant ships of any country that did not pay tribute to local rulers. Prisoners were held for ransom or turned over to their allies the Ottoman Empire as slaves. Before Washington was President, Jefferson and Adams were sent to London to negotiate with the Pasha of Tripoli to no avail. The Envoy told Jefferson and Adams that Islam was order ...more

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Sep 07, 2018 Michael Economy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

(Review of audiobook)

The narrator has a strong Boston accwnt and shouts at you for the entire 5 hour recording.

The book itself is well researched, but a bit overly dramticised, and the author does a lot of speculation. I would have preferred a less colorful account of events.

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Dec 14, 2018 The Captain rated it did not like it

Shelves: nonfiction

Ahoy there me mateys! This is going to be an unpopular viewpoint to some of the crew and if ye feel ye cannot be on me crew any longer after it then we shall part ways. This book made me angry and I feel the need to explain why. Part of this arises from the fact that before readin’ this book, I read two other books about Jefferson and slavery. Part of this was the narration which was odd and will be explained further in a moment. Part of it was the lack of details in the narration. This anger ma Ahoy there me mateys! This is going to be an unpopular viewpoint to some of the crew and if ye feel ye cannot be on me crew any longer after it then we shall part ways. This book made me angry and I feel the need to explain why. Part of this arises from the fact that before readin’ this book, I read two other books about Jefferson and slavery. Part of this was the narration which was odd and will be explained further in a moment. Part of it was the lack of details in the narration. This anger made sense once I learned a single fact after readin’ the book.

Now this book was recommended to be by my maman who knows me fascination with both history and pirates. She has not read it but had it recommended to her and thus me. Despite me crappy American history class, I knew nothing about the Tripolitanian War or the pirates of same. So I approached this book with more than a little interest. I borrowed the audiobook from the library and began listening to it with excitement. This started out odd from the beginning.

Perhaps some will laugh but I had no idea who the authors were. Others who do know them will already guess the punchline. When the book began, I was informed that one of the authors was the narrator though I didn’t know which one. This usually makes me wary and I prefer it doesn’t happen except for a few exceptions. So already I was nervous. Then the book began. I usually listen to books on 2x the speed but he talked so fast that had to restart the book four times in order to find the correct speed for me (1.4x). And while he was readin’ the narrator had an odd cadence of almost shouting while emphasizing strange words. In fact, it seemed to be that any word with racial connotations or Muslim hatred or American superiority were the focal point of the sentence no matter what the rest of the sentence structure. The overall tone was strange. But I did eventually get used to enough that the curiosity of the history took over me attention.

The story itself seemed not only skewed but also distorted. I did think it was odd that the book was so short. And this lack of detail was apparent throughout. One part that irked was the discussions on how barbaric the Barbary States were. The author talks about how awful it was that good [white] Americans were being enslaved by the Muslims. No mention of slavery of blacks in worse conditions back home. Most of the emphasis seemed to be that the Quran lets Christians be slaves and how that is a horrible justification. Of course Christians keeping slaves is fine because they are Christians. Ugh.

For a book on the formative of the American navy, there was no real discussion of ship design or naval tactics. I thought I was going to get a lot of specifics. Plus the book seemed happy to suggest the Barbary States particular focus was on harassing Americans. No substantial mention was made of the fact that these pirates were the scourge of anyone and everyone who sailed on the Mediterranean. One fact I read elsewhere stated “between between 1 and 1.25 million Europeans were captured by Barbary pirates and sold as slaves between the 16th and 19th centuries.” This piracy was a substantial part of those nations wealth and power. Practically everyone paid tribute for safe ship passage.

During the same time frame of this book, Sweden had already declared war on the pirates. The whole cause of the American war was not because the pirates had enslaved American men, many of whom were slaves for 5 years or more. The war was because Jefferson no longer wanted to pay the vast sums of tribute to the pirates that the new nation couldn’t afford. Jefferson wanted open trade routes and money not morals led to his decisions. One only has to look at his policy on slavery in American to see that. This book claims to make this a war about American ideals and morality. It was about money and disruption of trade. It was about looking powerful in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Which brings me to me last point. The narrator turned out to be Brian Kilmeade, a Fox News personality. Me idea of listening to a bad news story actually turned out to be true! I have never seen him before or watched his show. But suddenly the oddness of the whole readin’ experience made sense. I was getting a white-washed version of this war where the Muslim people were psychos who continue to be a major problem for poor little America. Weird quotes like the one below suddenly made sense:

“Tired of Americans being captured and held for ransom, our third president decided to take on the Barbary powers in a war that is barely remembered today but is one that, in many ways, we are still fighting.” ― Brian Kilmeade, Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History

So while I enjoyed some of the new facts of the story, I cannot in good conscience recommend this book due to the racist, elitist manner in which it was told. And in fact, I cannot in good conscience even say that this history happened in this fashion due to the lack of depth of the narration itself. This War does not seem to have been “forgotten” as there are many works previously written on the topic. In looking at other reviews of this book, I did come across an excellent review on Amazon which I will put here in its entirety for me own later recollection and for those who may want to read books on this interesting but maligned topic. Here be MWRNR’s review

"Thomas Jefferson wrote hundreds of letters each year. So, with his name in the title, you would expect an in-depth study of the wars from his perspective and letters. However, that is not the case. Instead, this book appears to be a general history of the wars written for Middle School students that need a quick read for a book report. For a much better history of the squadron, ship, and Marine actions during the US wars with Barbary Pirates, I recommend “Dawn Like Thunder” by Glenn Tucker. To put the wars in context and a correct history of the creation of the navy by President John Adams and the Federalist Party with its opposition by Thomas Jefferson and the Republican Party, I recommend “Six Frigates” by Ian W. Toll. For a very good discussion in the context of religious and political beliefs of the Americans at the time, I recommend “The Barbary Wars” by Frank Lambert. For shorter versions of the wars (that are still more informative and superior to Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates) included in a broader context I also recommend “The Forgotten Wars” by Howard P. Nash and “Edward Prebble” by Christopher McKee."

I wasn’t going to read more on this war but now I feel like I should give this historical period another look from another perspective.

Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp... ...more

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About Brian Kilmeade

Brian Kilmeade

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As cohost of FOX & Friends, the number one rated morning program on cable television for the past nine years, Brian Kilmeade shares his unique perspective on the daily news. He has interviewed the biggest names in politics, sports and entertainment, often securing exclusive content.

Kilmeade played a large part in FOX ís coverage of September 11th, as well as coverage including reporting from war z As cohost of FOX & Friends, the number one rated morning program on cable television for the past nine years, Brian Kilmeade shares his unique perspective on the daily news. He has interviewed the biggest names in politics, sports and entertainment, often securing exclusive content.

Kilmeade played a large part in FOX ís coverage of September 11th, as well as coverage including reporting from war zones in the middle east and over a dozen military bases from coast to coast. In addition, he has contributed live coverage of both the Democratic and Republican Party Conventions.

Also serving as the networks sports anchor, Kilmeade has reported on or provided live coverage of every major American sport over the last twenty years.

Currently, he is the host of the nationally syndicated radio talk show on FOX News Radio, Kilmeade & Friends. The show is heard on 80 stations, as well as XM and Sirius Satellite Radio.

Kilmeade’s first book, The Games Do Count: America’s Best & Brightest On The Power Of Sports (2004), was The New York Times best-seller and presents more than seventy stories straight from America’s top leaders and those who were closest to them. Kilmeade reveals this simple and compelling truth: America’s best and brightest haven’t just worked hard—they’ve played hard, too.

His companion volume, It’s How You Play the Game: The Powerful Sports Moments That Taught Lasting Values to America’s Finest (2007), reveals personal stories of the defining sports moments in the lives of athletes, CEOs, actors, politicians, and historical figures—and how what they learned on the field prepared them to handle life and overcome adversity with courage, dignity, and sportsmanship. Sports Illustrated said of it, “This book taught me more about some of my favorite leaders than any profile of them I had ever read.”

A graduate of Long Island University, Kilmeade began his career as a correspondent on Channel One, a daily national high school television news program. He then served as an anchor and host for KHSC-TV in Ontario, California. Brian also hosted sports talk radio for top rated XTRA-AM 690 whose duties included co-hosting The Jim Brown Show.

Prior to joining FOX News Channel, Kilmeade served as a freelance sports anchor for NBC in Hartford, as well as a sideline reporter for the MSG Network, where he covered the New York/New Jersey Metro-Stars, a major league soccer team based in Giants Stadium. He worked as a feature reporter and anchor for Newsport TV, where he hosted Newsport Journal, a daily magazine show for the national sports network. He also anchored Scoreboard Central, a live half-hour general sports program.

In addition to his career in journalism, Kilmeade has 10 years of experience as a stand-up comedian. He lives in Massapequa with his family, where he still coaches soccer. ...more

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“This is the story of how a new nation, saddled with war debt and desperate to establish credibility, was challenged by four Muslim powers. Our merchant ships were captured and the crews enslaved. Despite its youth, America would do what established western powers chose not to do: stand up to intimidation and lawlessness.” — 4 likes

“The Barbary states were already at war with America, and they seemed to understand only one kind of diplomacy—the kind that was accompanied by a cannon.” — 4 likes

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