That Time the US Paid a $642,500 Ransom to Pirates

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Did you know that the U.S.’ first foreign-fought war was with…pirates? After the U.S. declared independence, the Barbary pirates began capturing Americans in the Mediterranean and holding them for ransom. At one point, Congress agreed to pay them a huge portion of their federal budget. In this episode of Rogue History, we uncover the truth behind the pirates that nearly snuffed out the U.S. economy.

Some images are sourced from © LIECHTENSTEIN. The Princely Collections, Vaduz–Vienna:
“Admiral of the Turkish ships, of the Algerian pirates” and “Captain of an Algerian pirate ship” from a series of depictions from Algeria by Andreas Matthäus Wolfgang

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Rogue History
Shaking off the barnacles from this wildly popular storytelling canon, this Pirates historical series is an enlightening voyage that unravels historical myths, unearths lost narratives, and discovers fresh perspectives. This is the pirate history you were never told.

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Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:26 These Pirates Existed for Hundreds of Years
00:50 U.S. Government Paid Ransom for Captives
01:20 Who Were the Barbary Pirates?
01:38 Meaning of “Barbary”
02:28 Hayreddin Hizir Reis/ Barbarossa
03:03 Selim I Recognized the Value of These Pirates
03:35 A Famous Captive of the Barbary Pirates
04:27 An Ambitious New Nation Challenges Them
05:44 Contradictory Attitudes Towards Enslavement
06:13 The First Barbary Pirate War
06:25 “The Shores of Tripoli”
06:50 The Second Barbary Pirate War
07:25 The End of Their Reign
07:46 Were The Barbary Wars Really Religious Conflicts?

Correction:
01:31 This region was called ‘The Maghreb’ by settlers of Arab and Ottoman origin, and ‘Tamazgha’ by indigenous people.