Originally published on August 12, 2024 (Episode 371)
Introduction
How can a new nation establish itself amidst the networks and intrigues of a very old part of the world, while at the same time trying to be different from everyone else? Are these inherently contradictory aims? And how can either—or none—of these objectives be achieved by civil servants who are engaging in, at best, on-the-job training?
These are some of the questions that are prompted by studying the First Barbary War, fought by the young United States from 1801 to 1805 along the coast of North Africa. Far from being a story of heroic naval derring-do (which, to be fair, there’s a lot of as well), it is one of strategic ambiguity, diplomatic finesse, and the ideological aspirations of a new nation set against the backdrop of world war and millennia-old customs.
With me to discuss the First Barbary War is Abby Mullen, Assistant Professor of History at the United States Naval Academy. She is also the impresario of not one but two podcasts: Consolation Prize, a limited-run series about U.S. diplomacy from the ground-eye viewpoint of American consuls, and Big If True, a podcast for kids co-hosted with her daughter. But today we are (mostly) talking about her new book To Fix a National Character: The United States in the First Barbary War, 1800–1805 (Hopkins, 2024).
About the Guest
Abby Mullen is Assistant Professor of History at the United States Naval Academy. She is the creator and host of the Consolation Prize podcast on U.S. consuls and diplomacy, and co-host (with her daughter) of the family-friendly history podcast Big If True.
For Further Investigation
Abby Mullen, To Fix a National Character: The United States in the First Barbary War, 1800–1805 (Hopkins, 2024)
Related Episodes
“Founding Scoundrels” (William Eaton, the Burr Conspiracy, and treason trials)
“The Economy of Captives” with Daniel Herschenzohn
“Damascus Events” (a story in which American consuls also feature)
Other Resources
Abby Mullen’s Consolation Prize podcast
Big If True podcast (currently paused)
Frank Lambert, The Barbary Wars: American Independence in the Atlantic World (Hill and Wang, 2007)
Fletcher Pratt, Preble’s Boys: Commodore Preble and the Birth of American Sea Power (Sloane, 1950)—now very old, very dated, and still a thrilling read.
Listen & Discuss
Could a small, untested republic really shape its national identity on the shores of North Africa? Or was it improvisation masquerading as strategy? Share your thoughts in the comments—and pass this episode along to anyone who enjoys tales of diplomacy, sea battles, and America’s early foreign entanglements.
