First Encounters Between the Unites States and the Muslim World
Keywords:
Bainbridge, Ottoman Empire, Selim III, diplomacy, early American relationsAbstract
This article examines early diplomatic encounters between the United States and the Ottoman Empire through Captain Bainbridge’s 1800 visit. It argues that these interactions reveal both cultural convergence and political misunderstanding. The study highlights the symbolic significance of the encounter while emphasizing the limitations of early American knowledge of Muslim societies.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
References
Aesop’s Fables. Compiled by Russell Ash and Bernard Higton. San Francisco:
Chronicle Books, 1990.
Allison, Robert J. The Crescent Obscured: The United States and the Muslim
World, 1776-1815 New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.
An American. Humanity in Algiers or the Story of Azem. Troy, New York: R.
Moffit, 1801.
The American in Algiers; or the Patriot of Seventy-Six in Captivity. New York: J.
Buel, 1797.
Bunyan, John. Pilgrim’s Progress. London: Nath. Ponder, 1678.
Dearborn, Henry A. S. The Life of William Bainbridge, Esq., of the United States
Navy. Ed. James Barnes. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1931.
Diplomatic Correspondence of the United States of America. vol. 7. Washington:
Francis Preston Blair, 1834.
Ellison, James. The American Captive, or the Siege of Tripoli. A Drama in Five
Acts. Boston: Joshua Belcher, 1812.
Franklin, Benjamin. Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Ed. Louis P. Masur.
Boston: Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 1993.
-----. “Sidi Mehmet on the Slave Trade.” Writings. Benjamin Franklin. Ed. J. A.
Leo Lemay. New York: Literary Classics of the United States, 1987. 1157-1160.
Hanson, Joseph. The Musselmen Humbled, or, a Heroic Poem in Celebration of the
Bravery Displayed by the American Tars, in the Contest with Tripoli. New York:
Printed for the Author by Southwick and Hardcastle, 1806.
Harris, Thomas M.D. The Life and Services of Commodore William Bainbridge.
Philadelphia: Carey Lea and Co., 1837.
Jefferson, Thomas. “First Annual Message, 8 December 1801.” A Compilation of
the Messages and Papers of the Presidents 1789-1908. vol. 1. Comp. James
Richardson. Washington: Bureau of National Literature and Art, 1908.
The Life of Mahomet; or, the History of that Imposture which was Begun, Carried
on, and Finally Established by Him in Arabia; and Which has Subjugated a Larger
portion of the Globe, than the Religion of Jesus has Yet Set at Liberty. To which is
added, an Account of Egypt. Worcester, MA: Isaiah Thomas, 1802.
Long, David F. Nothing Too Daring: A Biography of Commodore David Porter,
1780-1843. Annapolis, Maryland: United States Naval Institute, 1970.
McMurtry, R. Gerald. “The Influence of Riley’s Narrative upon Abraham
Lincoln.” Indiana Magazine of History 30 (June 1934): 134.
Montesquieu, Charles Louis de Secondat. Spirit of the Laws. (L’Esprit des Lois.
Genève: Barrillot, 1749.) Trans. Thomas Nugent. New York: Hafner Pub. Co.,
1949.
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson. Vols. 8, 10. Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 1950.
Paullin, Charles O. Diplomatic Negotiations of American Naval Officers 1778-
1883. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins Press, 1912.
Pickering Family Manuscripts. Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts.
Riley, James. An Authentic Narrative of the Loss of the American Brig Commerce.
Hartford, Connecticut: Self-published, 1817.
Ship Martha Log, 1799 D2; Essex Institute Historical Collections, Marine Logs
and Journals, MFM 91 #4, Essex Institute, Salem, Massachusetts.
Trenchard, John and Thomas Gordon. Cato’s Letters. 3 volumes. Fifth edition,
London: n.p., 1748.
Tyler, Royall. The Algerine Captive, or the Life and Adventures of Doctor Updike
Underhill. 1797. Gainesville, Florida: Scholars’ Facsimiles and Reprints, 1967.
Volney, Abbé Constantin François de Chassebouef. The Ruins, or a Survey of the
Revolutions ofEmpires. London: J. Johnson, 1792. New York: William A. Davis
for E. Duyckinck and Company, 1796. Philadelphia and Richmond: James Lyon,
1799. Trans. Joel Barlow and Thomas Jefferson. Paris: Levrault, 1802; new edition,
New York: Garland Publishing, 1979.
Weems, Mason Locke. History of the Life, Death, Virtues, and Exploits of General
George Washington. 4th edition. Albany: Printed by Charles R. and George
Webster, 1805.
