Piracy has been a possible subsequence of ocean commerce since ocean commerce was made. However, when a number of Tripolitan pirates started holding american merchant ships as hostages for ransom, the piracy becomes the United States’ problems despite it being in far-off shores. By looking into the history of Tripoli we will be able to learn more about the nation’s early challenges. The phrase ‘To the Shores of Tripoli’ from the Marine’s hymn references the first Barbary war. This war was between Sweden and America against Tripoli, a part of the Ottoman Empire. Pirates in the bays of Tripoli were taking American ships, plundering them and then keeping American men as hostages so that they may receive ransoms. And for quite some time, this
