This thesis observes the Barbary Wars (The First Barbary War 1801-1805; The Second Barbary War 1815) as a nation-building conflict during the formative years of the US. Though the conflict itself is relegated to a footnote in the broader historical landscape of the US, historians legitimize its importance as a turning point in US foreign affairs approach. Though the early struggle with Barbary pirates is a fruitful historical topic, it is often overshadowed in the broader perception of global geopolitics at the beginning of the 19th century. Analyzing the conflict entices multiple paradigms simultaneously, with the issues of trade as a centerpiece of US economic policy, privateering and subsequent slavery, national myths forged in the conflict and an overarching theme of the civilized ‘West’ facing the barbaric ‘East’ being the most frequently explored topics. The events leading to the First Barbary War also shaped the foreign policy of Thomas Jefferson, whose stern approach to the crisis is visible not only in his successor, James Madison, but also invites comparison with contemporary events and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. The legacy of fighting ‘injustice’ in a foreign/Arab land is commonly referenced in the broader public sphere, with the Barbary Wars often portrayed as the roots of present-day hostilities with the Arab (or Muslim) world. The aim of the thesis is to analyze historical works dealing with the early conflicts along the Barbary coast, observe the impact of the Barbary Wars on the infant Republic, and juxtapose the topic as perceived by historians with the commonplace approach visible in the US public discourse, frequently used to push state ideology.