In 1787, at the height of the debate over the Constitution in Philadelphia, news reached legislators that American sailors had once again been taken hostage by pirates from the Barbary States. Despite a desire to respond but with no central government, the new American Republic had no means to create a naval force.Enter an anonymously written book - The Algerine Spy in Pennsylvania or, Letters Written by a Native of Algiers on the Affairs of the United States in America . Consisting of a series of letters, it predicted that the former colonies would never resolve their differences and be ruined by disunion - it created such a sensation that it tipped the balance of opinion in favour of adopting the new Constitution.This superb reprint is introduced and edited by respected historian Timothy Marr, who re-examines the importance of this work in the political history of the United States.