To begin this project, it is a good idea to acquaint yourself with events of the time by consulting a general reference book about the US Navy or even US history. By doing this, you will find that the following wars took place in this time period and that the following sea heroes emerged:

Wars: (This is not comprehensive)

• War with France 1798-1800
• Tripolitan War 1801-1805 (Barbary Pirates)
• War of 1812

Heroes: (This is not comprehensive either)

• Stephen Decatur
• Isaac Hull
• John Paul Jones ("Father of the US Navy")
• James Lawrence
• Jacob Nagel
• Oliver Hazard Perry
• Edward Preble

Armed with this background information, use the catalog to look up information about these people and wars using them as the subject. You will find that there are specific subject headings for the topics including:

• Hull, Isaac, 1773-1843
• Lawrence, James, 1781-1813
• United States--History--War of 1812--Naval Operations
• United States--History--Tripolitan War, 1801-1805.
• United States--History--War of 1812
• United States. Navy--History
• United States. Navy--History--War With France, 1798-1800

Books (This is a limited list since you are able to look them up in the catalog with the above information.)

Don't forget that encyclopedias are a good source of background information for the people, their ships, and the battles in which they fought. World Book Encyclopedia and The Encyclopedia of World Biography, both in the Reference section, first aisle, may surptise you with the information they provide.

• Fowler, William M. Jack Tars and Commodores: The American Navy, 1783-1815.
• Icenhower, Joseph Bryan. American Sea Heroes.
• Tucker, Glenn. The Wars in Barbary: Arab Piracy and the Birth of the US Navy.

Articles

To find articles in magazines and reference books, search indexes to periodicals or the indexes of the reference book. Good places to start include:

• Cumulative Index to American Heritage: This is in the Reference section of the library at R 973.016 AME. This item can not be checked out.
  • Look up the subject you have chosen, either by personal name or by the name of the battle or ship related to the hero you have chosen.
  • The index gives citations to articles on the subject written in American Heritage, which Jervis Public Library keeps indefinitely.
  • Write down the date and pages of the articles you are interested in and ask for them at the Information Desk. Be sure to look for the lengthy articles for the most information. A one page article may not be helpful for an essay.
• Dictionary of American History . This is also in the Reference section of the library at R 973 DIC. This item can not be checked out.
  • Use the index volume of this set of books and look up the hero, his ship, or the battle with which he is related.
  • The index give references to the volume and page number on which the person, ship, or battle is mentioned.
  • Look for main entries for the most information.
• Reader's Guide to Periodicals is on an index table in front of the Information Desk. These can not be checked out.
  • Each volume is an index to articles covering a short amount of time, usually one year.
  • Search the volume for the subject you have chosen in the same manner as the previously mentioned titles.
  • Write down the name of the magazines, the date of the magazines, and the page numbers for each article you would like to get.
  • To find out where and how to access these articles, take the list to the Information Desk and ask a librarian for assistance.

WEBSITES

• General Information
  • A History of the US Navy: The Navy, The Continental Period
  • United States Merchant Marine
• Joshua Barney
  • The Barney Family history Association
  • The Road to Washington British Army Style
  • The Navy: US Naval Command: Baltimore-Sept. 1814
• John Barry
  • John Barry, Naval Hero
• Stephen Decatur
  • Stephen Decatur, Jr.
• Isaac Hull
  • Commodore Isaac Hull's Grave
  • USS Wadsworth Coat of Arms
• James Lawrence
  • Short Biography from Wikipedia
  • USS Chesapeake: Norfolk Navy Shipyard provides a brief history and artist's rendition of the ship on which Lawrence uttered his dying words
• Oliver Hazard Perry and the Battle of Lake Erie
  • The Battle of Lake Erie from Smithsonian Magazine
  • Flag flown on Perry's ship Lawrence from a retailer of flags
  • Perry Prevails: The Battle of Lake Erie, an article from the history net
  • US Brig Niagara in Erie, PA
• Thomas Truxton
  • Extracts from the Naval Chronicle, Part 1 written by Thomas Truxton
  • More Extracts from the Naval Chronicle by Thomas Truxton
• USS Constitution
  • Boston Globe's coverage of the bicentennial
  • NAVets USA page devoted to the ship
  • USS Constitution The History

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Updated 5/25/06 by NCI