Six Frigates
Ian W. Toll
W. W. Norton & Company
<p>"A fluent, intelligent history...give[s] the reader a feel for the human quirks and harsh demands of life at sea."&#8212;<i>New York Times Book Review</i>Before the ink was dry on the U.S. Constitution, the establishment of a permanent military became the most divisive issue facing the new government. The founders&#8212;particularly Jefferson, Madison, and Adams&#8212;debated fiercely. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect from pirates or drain the treasury and provoke hostility? Britain alone had hundreds of powerful warships.<p>From the decision to build six heavy frigates, through the cliff-hanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of <i>Founding Brothers</i> and the narrative flair of Patrick O'Brian.</p></p>