Slavery on the Barbary Coast

[1] From bases on the Barbary coast of North Africa, the Barbary pirates raided ships traveling through the Mediterranean and along the northern and western coasts of Africa, plundering their cargo and enslaving the people they captured.

From 1500 onward, pirates also conducted raids along seaside towns of Italy, Spain, France, England and as far away as Iceland, capturing men, women and children.

On some occasions, settlements such as Baltimore, Ireland were abandoned following Barbary pirate raids, only being resettled many years later.

By late 1793, a dozen American ships had been captured, goods stripped, and all passengers and crew enslaved.

Narratives that focused on the central themes of freedom and liberty drew inspiration from the American Revolution.