Founding Encounters
Welcome to Founding Encounters, a new MBN series about the lesser known stories of the relationship between the Middle East and America in its earliest years. To mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, our series will take you through the harbors of Morocco, the narrow bazaars of Tunis, the tobacco fields of Virginia, the naval battles in the distant seas, and much more. These experiences shaped the newly-formed nation’s perception of the Middle East and its people, and as you’ll see from this first episode – on Jefferson’s Quran – the region also helped shaped the new nation coming to life in 1776 in ways that aren’t fully appreciated. Today the Middle East is itself in the midst of a historic transformation, with the U.S. playing an inordinately large role. History helps give us some important perspective.
Welcome to Founding Encounters, a new MBN series about the lesser known stories of the relationship between the Middle East and America in its earliest years. To mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, our series will take you through the harbors of Morocco, the narrow bazaars of Tunis, the tobacco fields of Virginia, the naval battles in the distant seas, and much more. These experiences shaped the newly-formed nation’s perception of the Middle East and its people, and as you’ll see from this first episode – on Jefferson’s Quran – the region also helped shaped the new nation coming to life in 1776 in ways that aren’t fully appreciated. Today the Middle East is itself in the midst of a historic transformation, with the U.S. playing an inordinately large role. History helps give us some important perspective.
The Emir of Iowa, USA
Elkader, Iowa, is a sleepy town of only a square mile with roughly 1,200 people. Its Main Street looks much like other small Midwestern towns with a grocery store that has been around since the 19th century, a handful of businesses and law offices with American flags hanging from their facades, and, farther down, houses, […]
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America’s First Attempt at Regime Change
When Americans Were Slaves in Tripoli
Morocco: America’s First Friend
Jefferson’s Quran
