1. Jonathan Cowdery's Journal: A Blockade Narrative
Prepared by:
Mariam Bedraoui

2. Outline American Barbary Captivity Narratives
Different Versions
Re-imaging Captivity
Tripoli Blockade ( ): A Historical Overview
Cowdery’ s Journal: A Blockade Narrative

3. A. American Barbary Captivity Narratives: 1- Different Versions
Americans started to be captured by North African corsairs as early as 1625
Gee Joshua’s fragmented narrative is the earliest surviving Barbary captivity account
John Foss and James Cathcart’ s captivity narratives in Algeria
Tripoli prisoners: Jonathan Cowdery, Elijah Shaw and William Ray
Shipwrecked captives: Robert Adams and James Riley’ narratives
Female Captivity Narratives: Mary Velnet, Maria Martin and Elisa Bradly

4. A. American Barbary Captivity Narratives: 2-Re-imagined Captivity
Novels
Adventures of Alfonso
The Algerine Spy in Pennsylvania (1787)
Humanity in Algiers(1801)
The Algerine captive (1797)

5. 2- Re-imagined Captivity
On Stage
Slaves in Algiers (1794)
The American Captive or Siege of Tripoli (1812)
Slaves in Barbary (1817)
Children’s Books
The Algerine
The Corsair Prince
The Boy Bedouins
The White Boy Slaves of the Sudan
Seven Boy Slaves

6. B. The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Overview
1801
Feb. 26: Tripoli declares war on the United States.
July 24: Commodore Richard Dale commands the first squadron to the Mediterranean and begins a blockade of Tripoli.
August 1: The American schooner Enterprise captures a Tripolitan cruiser.
1802
April 27: Commodore Morris leaves Virginia in command of the second squadron dispatched to the Mediterranean
June 17: Tripolitan Corsairs capture the American merchant ship Franklin.

7. B. The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Overview
1803
June 2: Commodore Morris orders a raid on Tripoli harbor.
June 7: Morris conducts abortive negotiations with Tripoli.
September: Commodore Edward Preble, leading the third American Squadron, arrives off Tripoli.
October 31: The USS Philadelphia runs a ground in Tripoli harbor and is captured, along with its captain Bainbridge and his 307 crew.

8. B. The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Overview
1804
February 16: Captain Stephen Decatur enters the Tripoli harbor abroad the ketch Intrepid and sets fire to the Philadelphia and escapes
September 4: The intrepid, which was converted to an explosion vessel, blows up prematurely in Tripoli harbor.
September 9: Commodore Samuel Barron, commanding the fourth squadron, arrives off Tripoli harbor.

9. B. The Siege of Tripoli: A Historical Overview
1805
February 23: William Eaton and Hamet Karmanli, meeting in Egypt, agree to lead an overland expedition against the port of Derna.
April 28: Arab and American force storms and captures Derna
June 4: United States and Tripoli conclude peace

10. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative
An inside account of Tripoli blockade
The Bashaw’s reactions and decisions
The population movements from and to Tripoli
The international counsels’ initiatives
Tripoli’s continuing social life
The repercussions of war in the harbor
The American casualties found afloat on the shore

11. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative
A narrative blockade of the captivity idea
He is an unconventional captive
He has leisure and seeks entertainment
He pays visits to the suffering crew but no details about their afflictions in the harbor
He keeps reporting the actions of the national fleet on the harbor
He never shows anxiety or fear
No religious connotations or psychological break-downs
A strong male captivity narrative

12. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative
Blockading the local culture
Unbalanced relationship between Cowdery and the Bashaw
He sets cultural differences between him and the Bashaw
He reports on the rituals and festivities which do not appeal to him
“the rejoicement was great, but neither elegance nor taste were discoverable”

13. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative
William Ray’s narrative comes as a corrective to Cowdery’s account.
Cowdrey says:
“After the signal of the Philadelphia was struck, and the officers and crew waiting the pleasure of their new masters, the Tripolitan Chiefs collected their favourites, and fell to cutting their own men who were stripping the Americans and plundering the ship.- They cut the hands of some, and it is believed many were killed”.
Cowdery, American Captives in Tripoli, 1
Ray says
“It is true that there was a sort of mutiny and clashing of arms amongst themselves, but for my part I never saw any hands amputated, nor do I believe there were any lives lost; for myself and a hundred others were in the ship much longer than the Doctor and none of us ever saw or heard of this carnage among themselves.”
Ray, Horrors of Slavery,18.

14. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative
Ray gives a different narrative to that of Cowdery
“Petty despotism is not confined alone to Barbary excreted and piratical shores; but that base and oppressive treatment may be experienced from officers of the American, as well as the British and other navies”
Ray, Horrors of Slavery,18.

15. Jonathan Cowdery’s Journal: A Blockade Narrative
Back home , Cowdery’s account served to consolidate the victory narrative, which was highly contested.
This was done in the narrative by assuming a confident tone, providing exaggerated depictions of the local people and their culture and by overlooking the intense sufferings of the American prisoners.