THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE TRIPOLI PIRATES by Brian Kilmeade

"The Forgotten War That changed American History"

This book was given to me by one of the members at FitClub West. This man is retired from the Presidential Library and he was the guy that recommended GEORGE WASHINGTON'S SECRET SIX, also by Kilmeade.

I got the book shortly before Xmas, 2016 and I read about a third of it, and it ended up a 'bathroom book' which I completed in late February, 2017.

Interesting true story about America's first international war. And, it was with Muslims!

The pirates in North Africa had been harassing international trade for centuries. They were hijacking ships and holding the sailors for ransom, and the Europeans treated this as the cost of business. Jefferson was the first world leader to refuse to pay tribute to pirates (terrorists). I suppose that contemporary conservatives would make the case that this is proof that Islam has been at war with Christianity from its' inception. However, I think that what's really going on, both in the nineteenth century and now, is that criminals are using religion to justify their evil intentions.

I was shocked to learn about Stephen Decatur. He was truly heroic and a key player in the war with Tripoli in the early 1800's.

From Amazon-

"When Thomas Jefferson became president in 1801, America was deeply in debt, with its economy and dignity under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary Coast routinely captured American merchant ships and held the sailors as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments far beyond what the new country could afford.

For fifteen years, America had tried to work with the four Muslim powers (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco) driving the piracy, but negotiation proved impossible. Realizing it was time to stand up to the intimidation, Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. He sent the U.S. Navy and Marines to blockade Tripoli—launching the Barbary Wars and beginning America’s journey toward future superpower status.

Few today remember these men and other heroes who inspired 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 recaptures this forgotten war that changed American history with a real-life drama of intrigue, bravery, and battle on the high seas."

The author is one of the anchors at Fox News.