Seminar in United States History

HIUS 4501 (5)

Seminar in United States History

"America's First Encounter with Islam (1776-1830)"

Rhonda Barlow

In the wake of 9/11, there was an explosion of interest in America’s previous encounters with the Islamic world. This course provides students with the opportunity to examine American relations with the Barbary Powers through events such as the Sultan of Morocco’s recognition of American independence, the problem of piracy in the Mediterranean, the enslavement of American sailors, and the wars with Tripoli and Algiers. Students will see how the Barbary Wars have been appropriated, first by the abolitionists, then by the US Navy, and, most recently, by advocates of an aggressive war on terror.

Students will consider questions such as: Why were relations with Morocco much more cordial than relations with Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli? Was it better for the United States to pay tribute or to fight? Were the wars against Tripoli (1801-1805) and against Algiers (1815) effective? How did enslavement of whites in Algiers compare with enslavement of blacks in Virginia? Were the Barbary pirates conducting a jihad against Christian America? How did Americans understand Islam?

The first five weeks of the course will be devoted to common background readings and class discussions, during which time students will select a topic in diplomatic, military, economic, social or cultural history.  For the remainder of the semester, students will conduct research and write a major paper (25-30 pp.) based on primary sources. There will be no examinations in the course. Grades will be determined by the quality of the paper (70%) and contributions to class discussions (30%).

Note: This course fulfills the second writing requirement.

Required texts:

• Robert Allison, The Crescent Obscured
• Frank Lambert, The Barbary Wars