Algeria and the United States share a rich past, older than one might imagine. Algeria, or rather the Kingdom of Algiers, was one of the very first states to recognize independence from the United States of America, and a consulate was also located in Algiers.
It is useful to point out that the United States of America which still suffered, at that time from the pangs of the war of independence, (acquired in July 1776) which had permanently indebted them, did not have a naval fleet capable of ensuring the protection of their merchant ships, defended until then, by the Royal Navy or the Portuguese fleet, which did not prevent the capture by the Kingdom of Algiers, of two American vessels in 1785 and of “eleven ships merchants ”in 1793. They were therefore obliged to negotiate the protection of their maritime trade, while waiting to constitute their own squadron, from the beginning of the 19th century.
But before that, from 1785, American ships were undoubtedly easy prey, for the corsairs of what the West then called Barbary, that is to say the current countries of Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya (Morocco also although not under Ottoman influence). The United States Senate consequently decides to propose a “treaty of peace and friendship” with these States.
This “Treaty of Peace and Friendship” of 1795 notably ensured respect for the freedom of movement of goods and people, gave the nature of the goods which were exempt from customs duties; codified the commercial, military and diplomatic relations which were maintained by the two partners, clarified and reinforced the prerogatives of the consul.
The signatory parties in Algiers on September 5, 1795 are the dey Hassan Pasha, for the Algerian part and Joseph Donaldson Jr, for the American part. It would be interesting to know if in the young history of the United States there are other examples of assaults on foreign states (apart from Algeria, Tunisia and Libya).
The facsimile of the Osmanli version signed by Hassan Pasha, who reigned from 1791 to 1798, indicates, thanks to the relatively readable title, that this is clearly an Algerian-American “peace treaty”. This type of agreement is called in Ottoman Aahdname ، عهدنامه.
The Hegirian date which appears at the bottom left is unfortunately too vague, to advance with certainty that it is indeed that of 1795 and not of the agreements of 1815 and 1816, after the battle of Cape Gata on June 15, 1815, which saw the fleet of Raïs Hamidou undergo a decisive defeat for the Regency of Algiers and definitively put an end to the Race and the imposition of tributes on Western countries.
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