Key Battles of American History23 Okt 2024

Key Battles of the Barbary Wars, Episode 2: The British Origins of the US Navy

The American Navy was birthed in the Barbary Wars. Sure, there was a token navy in the Revolutionary War, but battles were mostly won in that war by American privateers (or, if you were British, pirates). To understand where the U.S. Navy came from, we need to take a step back and look at the stake of naval warfare in the 18th century.

The early American Navy resembled the British Navy in its use of British ship designs, naval tactics, and organizational structures, largely inherited from the colonial period when the colonies relied on British maritime power. Many American naval officers had British training or were influenced by British traditions, such as ship discipline, officer ranks, and the use of frigates for protecting trade routes.

However, the U.S. Navy was different in its focus and scale. While the British Navy was a vast global force designed for empire-building and large-scale warfare, the early American Navy was smaller and more focused on defending American merchant ships, often relying on nimble frigates rather than large ships-of-the-line. Additionally, the U.S. Navy operated with a more democratic ethos, as naval officers in America were often more accountable to elected officials, reflecting the values of the new republic.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(434)

RW5: Quebec and the Noble Train of Artillery

In the aftermath of Bunker Hill, both Britain and the Continental Congress took decisive steps that pushed the colonies closer to a complete break with the mother country. Meanwhile, American forces u...

29 Jul 48min

RW4: Bunker Hill; Washington Takes Command

In this episode, James and Audrey follow the American Revolution from the meeting of the Second Continental Congress to the bloody Battle of Bunker Hill. We explore the capture of Fort Ticonderoga, th...

22 Jul 54min

RW3: British and Continental Soldiers

What was life really like for the men who fought in the Revolutionary War? In this episode, James and Audrey step away from the battlefield narrative to explore the everyday experiences of British red...

15 Jul 52min

RW2: The Shot Heard Round the World: Lexington and Concord

In this episode, James and Audrey follow the mounting crisis in Massachusetts as General Thomas Gage attempts to crush growing colonial resistance. James and Audrey trace the dramatic events of April ...

8 Jul 39min

RW1: The Roots of the Revolutionary War

In this premiere episode of The Revolutionary War, James Early and cohost Audrey Rogers explore the roots of the American Revolution, from the founding of Britain’s North American colonies to the grow...

4 Jul 58min

Southern Unionists in the Civil War

During the American Civil War, around 100,000 southern Unionists served in the Union Army, with every southern state except South Carolina raising official organizations of white troops.In this episod...

1 Jul 27min

Been There, Done That with Greg Jackson

In this episode, James interviews noted author, podcaster, and history professor Greg Jackson about his recently released book Been There, Done That. In this excellent book, Jackson points out that ou...

24 Jun 56min

Decisions, Discord and Diplomacy with Admiral William Fallon

In this episode, James interviews retired U. S. Navy Admiral William Fallon, former commander of U. S. Central Command (CENTCOM), about his recently published book Decisions, Discord, and Diplomacy: F...

17 Jun 55min