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But when peace was restored to Europe in 1815, Algiers found itself at war
with Spain, the Netherlands, Prussia, Denmark, Russia, and Naples. In March of
that year, the United States Congress authorized naval action against the
Barbary States, the then-independent Muslim states of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis,
and Tripoli. Commodore Stephen Decatur was dispatched with a squadron of ten
warships to ensure the safety of United States shipping in the Mediterranean and
to force an end to the payment of tribute. After capturing several corsairs and
their crews, Decatur sailed into the harbor of Algiers, threatened the city with
his guns, and concluded a favorable treaty in which the dey agreed to
discontinue demands for tribute, pay reparations for damage to United States
property, release United States prisoners without ransom, and prohibit further
interference with United States trade by Algerian corsairs. No sooner had
Decatur set off for Tunis to enforce a similar agreement than the dey repudiated
the treaty.
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