After the Revolutionary War, American sailors lost the protection of
Britain's Royal Navy and were easy prey for the pirates of the North
African coast, who captured ships and cargo, enslaved crew, and demanded
ransom from the U.S. Motivated by these events, Royall Tyler, the first
American-born playwright, poet, and novelist, wrote ""The Algerine
Captive."" Originally published anonymously in 1797, it tells the tale
of fictitious Boston native Dr. Updike Underhill, his capture by Barbary
pirates, and their efforts to convert him to their Muslim faith. Written
in an entertaining and satiric style that predated Mark Twain, Tyler's
novel reveals his patriotic pride and anti-slavery beliefs. His comments
on the religious and cultural divide between Western and Islamic beliefs
of the day still resonate today.