The Muslim world represented an alien and foreign phenomenon for the USA in its early years as a republic (1785-1815). This study examines the American view of Muhammad and the many issues which helped to determine American perceptions of the Muslim world.

Introduction1. American Policy Toward the Muslim World2. The United States and the Specter of Islam3. A Peek Into the Seraglio: Americans, Sex, and the Muslim World4. American Slavery and the Muslim World5. American Captives in the Muslim World6. The Muslim World and American Benevolence7. American Consuls in the Muslim World8. Remembering the Tripolitan War9. James Riley, the Return of the CaptiveNotesIndex