The French wanted the debt that America owed them back. However, since the previous government (the one that lent them the money) was overthrown, the president said that the debt didn't count anymore. Because of this, French sailors kidnapped and attacked American sailors. This lead to an undeclared, cold war called the Quasi Wars.
It took 1 year to travel from one end of the Islamic empire to the other. Baghdad was the fabled city of wealth that existed at the heart of the Islamic Empire :)
