In collaboration with the History of the Ottoman Empire podcast, this episode examines the Ottoman Empire in the 1830s and 1840s including reform efforts initiated by Sultan Mahmud II, early US diplomatic interactions with the Ottoman Empire and the Middle East, and Commodore David Porter, the colorful character who became the first US Minister to the Ottoman Sultanate. Special thanks to Lynn Perkins for his work in this collaboration. Source information can be found at whhpodcast.blubrry.com.