I had absolutely no idea that the US Navy had such a rough and uncertain start. Nor did I realize the scale of our efforts against the Barbary pirates of North Africa.

Just read it.

This book not only discusses the founding of the United States Navy, but it also briefly touches on the political climate of the times, covering both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 (the Second War of Independence). If you are a history buff, you would be hard pressed to find a book more insightful, more educational, and more complete. While this book is more of a historical analysis of the 6 original frigates that formed the early American Navy, it is written in a style this is far from dry. In the back of the book, is a breakdown of historical dates of significance, and I found myself wondering how I got through such a thick book so quickly!

America has had a navy since the American Revolution. General Washington's Continental Army prevailed in that conflict. Ian W. Toll writes that in contrast, "The Continental Navy, with few exceptions, was a wasteful and humiliating fiasco." Only a few decades later, however, by the War of 1812, the United States Navy was a formidable and respected force. Toll has masterfully presented the history of those decades in _Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy_ (Norton). This is Toll's first book; he is a former financial analyst and political speechwriter, but it is big, authoritative, and often exciting. It nicely ties the inchoate navy to the political philosophy of the new nation, and to the world events which compelled America, often reluctantly, to take to the seas in warships. Despite its size, annotations, and enormous bibliography, because of its concentration on personalities and action, Toll's book is less the dry history of the naval theorist than it is the thrilling nautical tales from Patrick O'Brian. (In fact, in compliment to that accomplished storyteller, Toll has incorporated a page of the Jack Aubrey novel _The Fortune of War_ into his account of the 1812 battle between the frigates _Constitution_ and _Java_.)

The colonists had always been enthusiastic about making their fortunes from the sea or commerce upon it, but after the Revolution, they had almost nothing that could be called a navy. They also did not have the Royal Navy to protect their merchantmen. So when American merchant vessels come into the Mediterranean, they were at risk from the pirates of the Barbary states, but when the nation started seriously considering a navy, there was no naval tradition to go by and there were no easy or predictable answers; many argued against having a navy altogether. The continuing capture of vessels by the pirates, however, caused President Washington in 1794 to sign into law the purchase of six innovative warships. Jefferson was the first to deploy the navy into war, against the pirates. The expedition was the first of many victories for the _Constitution_ and the beginning of the reasons that the world needed to take notice of the new nation as a naval and international power. The second great conflict covered here is the War of 1812, fought against the huge and powerful British Navy over its confiscation of American merchant shipping, and its impressment of American sailors into British service. The commanders of the U.S. vessels were too brash to accept the aura of invincibility that the Royal Navy had as its due, and in three single ship duels, the sort of thing at which the British were champions, the Americans got clear victories. The war changed the way the world thought about the United States and how it thought about itself. Churchill wrote that there remained anti-American sentiment in England for several years, "... but the United States was never again refused proper treatment as an independent power." It was only after the war of 1812, Toll reminds us, that Americans started speaking of the United States in the singular rather than in the plural.

Toll is exceptional at showing how human personalities and foibles made a difference in peculiar ways. The first British ambassador to the United States reported in 1803 with disgust that he, while wearing full diplomatic regalia, was received by President Jefferson "standing in slippers down at the heels ... in a state of negligence actually studied." The diplomatic acrimony over this and other slights only ended when war wiped them out. Toll asks, "Could a pair of slippers come between nations?" There are many pages devoted to superstitions. Whatever comfort against fate the superstitions might have given sailors, plenty were positively unhealthy, like the belief that bathing was dangerous because it might wash away your good luck, or that tattoos were protection against venereal disease. Even more surprising are the sections on dueling, which remained popular among hotheaded young American officers long after it was abandoned in other quarters. "The junior naval officer, done up in his high standing collar and gold lace, was as testy and vain as a fighting gamecock," Toll writes, and if a war was not handy, he was eager to show his honor in front of the pistol of a fellow officer. "Not surprisingly, the frequency of dueling appears to have been inversely related to the frequency of naval combat." Any excuse might do; one midshipman took offense when another entered the wardroom with his hat on, and challenged him. Toll even pays a historian's compliment to Teddy Roosevelt, who wrote _The Naval War of 1812_ during his off hours from college and law school; the work on the book gave Roosevelt lessons used "... in the course of his remarkable career as an American statesman and a devoted imperialist." One page after another in this fine history yields curious facts, thrilling scenes of battle, and grim depictions of battle's toll.

This was a wonderful story of an oft forgotten period in American history. It translated well to audio, and the audio quality was excellent. If you are a fan of American history, or naval history, or want to understand current world affairs in context this is a must have.

A superbly written account of America's Federal Period, the years following the adoption of the Constitution in 1789, and the founding of the United States' Navy. Author Ian Toll's comprehensive and clear presentation of the political and economic issues of the time frames the story in a background makes it much more than a naval history. Meticulously researched and delivered with an atmospheric and captivating writing style that really brings the period to life.

Excellent read. Author has the right touch when it comes to how much detail he adds. Very interesting to learn about the politics and the economics of our young country that lead to the continual funding/defunding of the first naval ships. Really well done descriptions of some of the naval engagements. Hard to imagine a time when England ruled the seas with 800 warships and we had ...none.

I'm a naval war buff, I'll admit. I was willing to be pleased by this book, and I was. Great information on the creation of our navy, the political fueding behind it, and the end result. Not only is it a great book to read for the fascinating description of the ships, but getting a glimpse at the political scene during the early decades of our navy and how it almost exactly mirrors our current situation. Well worth the money.