Rowson’s first play dramatizes the then-current story of Americans held captive in North Africa. Coherent if not gripping, Slaves in Algiers is politically complex. It ignores obvious parallels to the African slave trade while using the existence of white slavery abroad to celebrate the freedoms provided to citizens of the recently constituted United States. It contains anti-Semitic stereotypes but also emphasizes the equality of women. Rowson, who demonstrated her own talents by both writing and performing in the play, came back on stage to speak its epilogue. In it, she taunts the audience with the idea of female superiority:

Women were born for universal sway;
Men to adore, be silent, and obey.

Boston Public Library, Rare Books & Manuscripts