In June 1785 Algerian pirates captured Isaac Stephens, captain of the Boston ship Maria, and his crew en route to Spain. The sailors were held captive for eleven years before Congress was able to secure their release. During Stephens’s captivity, his wife Hannah repeatedly petitioned Congress, citing her family’s terrible sufferings in her husband’s absence.
Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration
Memorial of Hannah Stephens requesting the release of her husband from Algiers, December 9, 1791
Protection from Piracy
Barbary pirates preyed on ships off Africa's western and Mediterranean coasts for centuries. After U.S. independence, Britain withdrew protections for American ships formerly stipulated in treaties with the Barbary States. In the 1780s and 1790s, pirates captured and enslaved many American sailors, demanding exorbitant ransom payments. After diplomatic means failed, Congress authorized the creation of the U.S. Navy to prevent further raids on American commerce.
In June 1785 Algerian pirates captured Isaac Stephens, captain of the Boston ship Maria, and his crew en route to Spain. The sailors were held captive for eleven years before Congress was able to secure their release. During Stephens’s captivity, his wife Hannah repeatedly petitioned Congress, citing her family’s terrible sufferings in her husband’s absence.
Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration
