PIRATES were the dread of every trading ship that crossed the Mediterranean and Atlantic seas in the 18th century. Based in the countries that lined the Barbary Coast, the pirates would attack the ships, make off with the cargo, capture the Europeans and sell them off as slaves.

Towards the end of the century, the United States began to get worried about this threat. So in 1797, a treaty was signed with Morocco, Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunisi