Horrors of slavery, or, the American tars in Tripoli / William Ray ; edited and with an introduction by Hester Blum.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ray, William, 1771-1827.

Contributor:

Blum, Hester.

Series:

Subterranean lives.

Subterranean lives

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Ray, William, 1771-1827.

Ray, William.

United States. Navy--History--Tripolitan War, 1801-1805--Personal narratives.

United States.

Philadelphia (Frigate).

Slavery--Africa, North.

Slavery.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (240 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Horrors of slavery

American tars in Tripoli

Place of Publication:

New Brunswick, N.J. : Rutgers University Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Barbary pirates in Africa targeted sailors for centuries, often taking slaves and demanding ransom in exchange. First published in 1808, Horrors of Slavery is the tale of one such sailor, captured during the United States's first military encounter with the Islamic world, the Tripolitan War. William Ray, along with three hundred crewmates, spent nineteen months in captivity after his ship, the Philadelphia, ran aground in the harbor of Tripoli. Imprisoned, Ray witnessed-and chronicled-many of the key moments of the military engagement. In addition to offering a compelling history of a little-known war, this book presents the valuable perspective of an ordinary seaman who was as concerned with the injustices of the U.S. Navy as he was with Barbary pirates. Hester Blum's introduction situates Horrors of Slavery in its literary, historical, and political contexts, bringing to light a crucial episode in the early history of our country's relations with Islamic states. A volume in the Subterranean Lives series, edited by Bradford Verter

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Chronology

A Note on the Text

Exordium

I. Introductory Remarks

II. Commencement of Service

III. A Sketch of Biography

IV. Suicide Attempted

V. Embarkation—Celebration of Independence— Exemplary Punishment, &c.

VI. A Voyage

VII. Exercising Ship

VIII. Remarks on Dr. Cowdery’s Journal

IX. A Petition

X. Commodore Preble’s Engagement with the Tripolitans

XI. Elegy

XII. Description of the Place

XIII. Manners, Customs, &c. of the Tripolitans

XIV. Public Transactions of the United States with the Regency of Tripoli; Including General Eaton’s Expedition

XV. Sketch of General Eaton’s Expedition

XVI. Return Home

Poetry, Published in The Albany Register, during the summer of 1807

Explanatory Notes

Further Reading

About the Editor

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1-281-80176-3

9786611801762

0-8135-4567-6

OCLC:

476191039