Six Frigates, Ian W. Toll
Six Frigates, Ian W. Toll
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Six Frigates
The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy

Author: Ian W. Toll

Narrator: Stephen Lang

Abridged: 7 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/03/2006


Synopsis

Before the ink was dry on the Constitution of the United States, the establishment of a permanent military had become the most divisive issue facing the young republic. Would a standing army be the thin end of dictatorship? Would a navy protect American commerce from the vicious depredations of the Barbary pirates, or would it drain the treasury and provoke hostilities with the great powers? How large a navy would suffice? The founders -- particularly Jefferson, Hamilton, Madison, and Adams -- debated these questions fiercely and switched sides more than once.

In 1794, President Washington signed legislation authorizing the construction of six heavy frigates. The unique combination of power, speed and tactical versatility -- smaller than a battleship and larger than a sloop -- that all navies sent on their most daring missions. It was the first great appropriation of federal money and the first demonstration of the power of the new central government, calling for the creation of entirely new domestic industries, and the extraction of natural resources from the backwoods of Maine to the uninhabited coastal islands of Georgia.

From the complicated politics of the initial decision, through the cliffhanger campaign against Tripoli, to the war that shook the world in 1812, Ian W. Toll tells this grand tale with the political insight of Founding Brothers and a narrative flair worthy of Patrick O'Brian. In the words of Henry Adams, the 1812 encounter between USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere "raised the United States in one half hour to the rank of a first class power in the world."

About Ian W. Toll

Ian W. Toll has been a Wall Street analyst, a Federal Reserve financial analyst, and a political aide and speechwriter. Six Frigates is his first audiobook. He lives with his wife and two-year-old son in San Francisco.

About Stephen Lang

Stephen Lang 's Broadway credits include Wait Until Dark, A Few Good Men, The Speed of Darkness (Tony and Outer Critics noms), and Death of A Salesman (Drama Desk nom). Among his feature films are Last Exit to Brooklyn, Tombstone, Gettysburg, and Manhunter. His television work includes, The Fugitive, Crime Story, Babe Ruth, and Death of A Salesman.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Rick on August 13, 2017

I devoured Ian Toll’s first two books about the naval war in the Pacific during World War II, so I thought I’d try his earlier book about the earliest days of the United States Navy. I don’t know if you have any interest in early American history or in naval warfare, but if you do, this is a great r......more

Goodreads review by Bruce on June 24, 2012

Imagine if you will the US Navy at the height of the Reagan Administration. The US Navy rules the world's oceans with 600 ships-of-war. There are no serious challengers either in numbers or expertise. Now further imagine another nation that shares the same language, same culture and similar values ch......more

Goodreads review by Porter on December 31, 2020

I read this book a few years ago and loved it. The Non-Fiction Book Club chose to read it, so I decided to do something different---I decided to re-read the book AND to listen to the audio book at the same time! While Chapter 1 was essentially the same between the written and audio versions, the res......more

Goodreads review by Gary on June 28, 2012

Scholarly, yet written in an expressive style, Ian Toll’s narrative of the nascent U.S. Navy focuses on the construction and history of the six frigates authorized by Congress in 1794. The political division over the need for warships is thoroughly examined; Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and the Fe......more

Goodreads review by Little on April 27, 2022

Very nice history of the creation of the US Navy and the first 6 ships that formed it. Well written and very engaging in the writing of the battles and action the ships endured. I enjoyed this very much. Very recommended......more


Quotes

"Wonderfully atmospheric...brilliantly researched, full of stirring action and rich with the scent of the sea."
-- Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman