When Americans Were Slaves in Algiers unveils a buried chapter in early American history—when newly independent American sailors were captured, enslaved, and held for ransom by the powerful Regency of Algiers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. In this meticulously researched account, author D. H. Algiers chronicles the harrowing ordeals of American captives, their forced labor, and the diplomatic brinkmanship that followed. From the high seas of the Mediterranean to the grim dungeons of Algiers, this book explores America's first foreign crisis and the birth of its naval identity.