America’s Conflict with Radical Islam Dates to 1785

     We will get to America’s first encounter with Islamic terrorists, but first a few words about our new More Liberty – Less Government website. The website now is ready with most writings from mid 2011 to the present already on the website and more being added each week. Eventually, there will be over 75 past posts plus all 2016 posts. The website already has experienced thousands of hits even though I have yet to mention it in a post. Moreover, our posts now show up in Google searches (especially our Guns in America series). Go to www.mllg.us and you will find the following:

• A heading titled “About MLLG & Author” with much background information
• Most posts from mid 2011 to the present – more being added all the time
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• The best posts of all time and the best series of all time
• All the most recent (2016) postings in order of publication
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    You will find extensive information about MLLG and also about yours truly, including some things that may surprise you. If you enjoy reading our posts, you will enjoy browsing the website and finding all our most popular posts and series including: Defining Liberalism, IQ in Society and Public Policy, The Gods of the Copybook Headings and many about climate change including Warming Throughout the Solar System. It also is a great way for your friends and associates to learn about our work.

America’s First Encounter with Muslim Terrorism

     In 1785 (231 years ago) Dey Muhammad of Algiers declared war on the United States and captured several American ships. Soon thereafter,  John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, American diplomats in London at the time, requested a meeting with the ambassador from Tripoli regarding piracy by the Barbary States. The meeting took place in early 1786 and Adams and Jefferson sent a letter dated March 28, 1786 summarizing the meeting to John Jay, at that time the US Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Articles of Confederation.

    Adams and Jefferson asked the ambassador why the Barbary States made war upon the United States which had done them no injury. Adams and Jefferson went on to say that America considered all mankind as our friends who had done us no wrong, nor had given us any provocation. The ambassador’s response to Adams and Jefferson as contained in their letter to John Jay is excerpted in the following paragraph.

     “The actions of the Barbary States are founded on the laws of our Prophet, Mohamed. It is written in our Koran that all nations who do not acknowledge our  authority are sinners. Therefore, it is our right and our duty to make war upon such infidels wherever they can be found and to make slaves of all that are taken prisoner. Moreover, any Muslims slain in battle are sure to go to paradise.“

     Eventually, the US fought two Barbary wars in 1801-1805 and again in 1815-1816. In the first war, a combined land and naval assault by the US Marine Corps on Tripoli won the war; in the second, the US Navy, led by Commodore Steven Decatur, forced a peace treaty on the Barbary States. Thereafter, the Barbary States did not capture any more US ships although they continued to pillage and plunder those of other nations.

     Not much has changed in over 230 years; is there a lesson here from the past?

 The next post revisits our favorite topic – climate change; it is not to be missed!