Timeline

1625

documented attack by Barbary pirates on merchant ships with home ports in north American colonies.

1645

seamen from Massachusetts, stop an attack from Algerians.

1678

Algerian pirates capture 14 ships from American colonies.

September 1783

pirates harass American ships on the way back from peace negotiations with Britain.

December 1790

Thomas Jefferson recommends that congress declare war on the pirates, but the senate rejects.

February 6 1802

congress passes the act for protection of commerce and seamen of the U.S. against the Tripolitan corsairs which is a declaration of war.

October 31, 1803

The 307 sailors aboard the warship Philadelphia, captained by William Bainbridge, is forced to surrender after the ship lands on a reef close to Tripoli.

May 1804

William Eaton, a bigot and corrupt consul to Tunis during the Jefferson administration, is appointed U.S. agent to the Barbary States.

April 25, 1804

William Eaton, acting without formal U.S. government authority, begins a military campaign against Barbary regimes by demanding the surrender of Darna. Thomas Jefferson opposes regime change by force and appoints a negotiator instead, Tobias Lear.

February 1809

Taking advantage of increasing tension between Britain and the United States the Dey of Algiers sacks the Sally and enslaves 15 crew members.

April 1815

Hostilities with Britain over the Congress declares war on the Barbary powers at President Madison's plea.

June 28, 1815

Stephen Decatur leads a military expedition against the Barbary powers and defeats them for the first time in 30 years.

December 15, 1815

in his state of the union to congress, president Madison declares the Barbary wars are over.