Chapter · Chapitre · الفصل
II
1800 — 1865
Commerce, corsaires et liens consulairesالتجارة والقرصنة والروابط القنصلية
In 1800, the United States established a consulate near the Place de la Bourse in Tunis, a posting that reflected Tunisia’s strategic position astride the Mediterranean trade routes on which American merchants increasingly depended. The young republic’s commitment to keeping those routes open was tested almost immediately by the Barbary Wars of 1801-1805 and 1815, when Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison refused to continue paying tribute in exchange for protection from privateering. Yet even amid that turbulence, diplomacy found its moments. In 1805, Tunisian envoy Sidi Soliman Mellimelli visited the United States, attended the first Iftar held at the White House, and helped resolve a dispute and stabilize relations between the two states. The warmth between the two governments found more ceremonial expression in 1865, when Muhammad III as-Sadiq Bey sent a life-size portrait of himself to the United States. In a gesture of reciprocity, the United States government responded with a portrait of George Washington modeled after the celebrated Lansdowne portrait.
Milestones · Jalons · محطات
U.S. Consul William Eaton opens the first U.S. Consulate in Tunisia, located near the intersection of Rue des Glacières, Rue Zarkoun, and Rue de l’Ancienne Douane. The building would house American diplomats until Tunisian independence in 1956.
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Tensions between the Barbary States and the United States over privateering activity in the Mediterranean culminate in two short armed conflicts, known as the Barbary Wars. Both wars (1801-1805 and 1815) led to more secure treaties and commercial partnerships.
Open this milestoneSidi Soliman Mellimelli, Bey Hammouda Pasha’s envoy, arrives in the United States to negotiate a better peace. The Tunisian envoy was the first Muslim diplomatic envoy ever sent to the U.S. During his stay, President Thomas Jefferson organized the first-ever White House Iftar dinner, on December 9, 1805. That tradition continues until this day.
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A veteran of the First Barbary War, and Chief Medical Officer of the U.S. Navy’s Mediterranean Station, Samuel D. Heap serves as U.S. Consul to Tunisia for close to 20 years. He remained in the country after his posting, and is now buried in the St. George Anglican Church cemetery, along with his wife Margaret, his daughter Susan, his son Gwynne, and his grandson Gwynne Jr. His son would later serve as U.S. Consul in Tunis.
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A modernizing leader, Ahmed I Bey abolishes slavery in Tunisia, nineteen years before the United States. Ahmed Bey also established the military academy at Bardo, reformed the Zitouna mosque, modernized infrastructure, and promoted economic development.
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American President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people in the Confederate states. In 1865, the U.S. Congress passed and the states ratified the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, abolishing slavery throughout the United States.
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Muhammed III as-Sadiq Bey sends an envoy to U.S. President Johnson to express condolences for the assassination of President Lincoln. The envoy presented Johnson with a life-size swagger portrait of Sadiq Bey. To reciprocate, the U.S. sends a similar portrait of George Washington.
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