War of Tripoli the Tripolitan

¶ … war of Tripoli

The Tripolitan War also known as the First Barbary War, was fought by the United States of America and a coalition of North African states including the Sultanate of Morocco, and the three Regencies of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, all belonging to the Ottoman Empire. Although disregarded by many American historians, the war of Tripoli represented the first war America fought on foreign soil. Moreover, it produced battle heroes that are still famous today, and is considered to have created the U.S. Navy and the Marine Corps. In addition, contemporary historians have argued that the Tripolitan War was, in fact, America's first battle against terrorism.

The press offered insight and valuable information regarding the war to large audiences interested in the development of the war. However, it is interesting to note here that in the absence of today's news correspondents, America's early years reporters were actually its sailors and naval leaders. Their accounts of the battle were sent in to newspapers in the form of letters or dispatches. There was, nonetheless, an important disadvantage, i.e. communication was slow, and documents took even months to be delivered, and then published by editors. After reaching newspapers, their accounts were often published in their entirety; many of these accounts were thrilling stories about the war which generated the first national war heroes. Because there were no photographs or any kind of visual footage of the war, Americans often romanticized war events which were amplified and sometimes, even expressed in the shape of popular culture. One of the most striking examples is the story of the U.S. Marines assault on Tripoli which was set to music by composer Benjamin Carr in his "The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Naval Sonata for the Piano Forte."

As with any other war, some believed the Tripolitan War was a just cause, while other criticized Jefferson's decision to get involved. This paper looks at two opposing articles published in the press of the time, namely James J. Wilson's article, A New Year's Report, published in the True American, and Alexander Young and Thomas Minns' piece, "National Allergies," published in the Mercury and New England Palladium.

The first article is a very good example of pro-Jefferson attitude in the press of the time. Wilson's article was published on January 7, 1805 in the True American, a newspaper from Trenton, New Jersey. Each year, around January 1, many newspaper editors of the time published short overviews of the events which had marked the previous year, and indulged in making predictions regarding the year to come. Reepublican editor James J. Wilson declared his support for the Tripolitan War, and applauded Jefferson's decision to get involved in it. His article praised America's progress in the war, and argued that the war was justified because America had been threatened. Moreover, the language he employs is mobilizing, and calls to patriotism, and a sense of national duty. Wilson uses the term "defensive navy" which has the power to legitimize the actions of the navy, and to contribute to the creation of a mythical dimension associated with the nation's heroes who, thanks to "their skill and bravery," have "given an idea of what they can and will do, when neccessity commands their employment in such enterprises."