The Causes and Consequences of the First Barbary War 1801-1805

This study examined the First Barbary War that transpired during the beginning of the nineteenth century (1801-1805) and was fought between the early United States and the semi-independent Ottoman Barbary State of Tripoli, located within the region of Northern-Africa. The primary objective of this study was to shed a light on the reasons that the United States had for waging the first-ever transatlantic war in its existence. It found that a multitude of factors were responsible for this occurrence, which were located within the ideological, economic, military and political realms. Secondly, the study examined the long-term effects that the First Barbary War had on the American identity, American foreign policy and the relationship between the executive and legislative powers within the U.S. government. During the course of this study it became clear that the ideological foundations of the United States, namely its central pillars of liberty, independence and free commerce, all played their respective roles in the outbreak of the conflict. Furthermore, it was found that the United States was incentivized to wage the First Barbary War out of economic necessity. Military developments at the end of the eighteenth century also played a role, with the permanent establishment and growth of the United States Navy allowing the United States to go to war. Finally, it was found that Thomas Jefferson’s personal convictions also played a major part in the outbreak of the conflict. The second part of the study focused on the long-term effects that the First Barbary War had on the United States. Here it was found that the successful conclusion to the war led to an explosion of patriotism within the United States, with its population becoming more sure of the continued independence of their nation. The war also caused a power-shift within the United States government, with the unilateral actions of Thomas Jefferson setting a precedent for future demonstrations of executive power over the more constitutional prior consultation of congress. And lastly, the war had an effect on American foreign policy in later years, with the nation now becoming increasingly confident in its abilities to project force abroad. This study thus attempted to paint a comprehensive picture of the causes and consequences of the First Barbary War. Furthermore, it also divided the reasons found by order of importance, with the personal convictions of Thomas Jefferson and the economic factors previously mentioned being deemed the most influential. The ideological and military factors, while also important, were classified under secondary reasons. In its conclusion, the study stressed that the war however small in scale and largely forgotten today still had a major impact on the course of both American and Northern-African history.