Horrors of Slavery: Or, The American Tars in TripoliBarbary pirates in Africa targeted sailors for centuries, often taking slaves and demanding ransom in exchange. First published in 1808, Horrors of Slavery is the tale of one such sailor, captured during the United States's first military encounter with the Islamic world, the Tripolitan War. William Ray, along with three hundred crewmates, spent nineteen months in captivity after his ship, the Philadelphia, ran aground in the harbor of Tripoli. Imprisoned, Ray witnessed-and chronicled-many of the key moments of the military engagement. In addition to offering a compelling history of a little-known war, this book presents the valuable perspective of an ordinary seaman who was as concerned with the injustices of the U.S. Navy as he was with Barbary pirates. Hester Blum's introduction situates Horrors of Slavery in its literary, historical, and political contexts, bringing to light a crucial episode in the early history of our country's relations with Islamic states. A volume in the Subterranean Lives series, edited by Bradford Verter |
Contents
Horrors of Slavery or The American Tars in Tripoli | 1 |
Poetry Published in The Albany Register during the summer of 1807 | 183 |
Explanatory Notes | 197 |
| 201 | |
About the Editor | 203 |
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Common terms and phrases
Algiers American appeared arrived Barbary captivity Barbary pirates Bashaw of Tripoli batteries Bey of Tunis boats bread brig Capt Captain Bainbridge captivity narrative captured castle chapter coast command commerce committee Commodore consul crew Danish David Valenzin Decatur declared Derna Derne Doctor dollars Eaton enemy enemy’s Enterprize Ex-Bashaw Farfara favour feet fire flogged frigate gave Gibraltar gun-boats guns Hamet Bashaw hand harbour heav'n honour Horrors of Slavery hundred informed James Leander Cathcart John Adams Jusef Bashaw justice letter liberty Lieutenant Malta Mamelukes Marabewt marine Mediterranean midshipman morning narrative nation navy never night o’clock officers ordered party passports peace Philadelphia pirates Poems port Preble prison promised Raiz Ray's received regency of Tripoli returned sail sailors seamen sent ship shore shot slaves squadron subjects town treaty Tripolitan Tripolitan War Tunis Turks U.S. Navy United vessel William Eaton William Ray