America’s connection with Tripoli is nothing new.
Some of the lyrics of this marching hymn were popular phrases before the song was written. The line “To the shores of Tripoli” refers to the First Barbary War, and specifically the Battle of Derne in 1805.
Tripolitania was one of the outposts for the Barbary pirates who raided Mediterranean merchant ships or required them to pay tribute. In 1801, the pasha of Tripoli raised the price of tribute, which led to the Tripolitan war with the United States. When the peace treaty was signed on June 4, 1805, U.S. ships no longer had to pay tribute to Tripoli. This piece of history is from the infoplease web site. Read more here.
Will America step up to the plate and go to bat for victimized people or is this just another Rwanda, Darfur, or Cambodia?
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