Contrary to popular belief, France was not the first country to recognize the independence of the United States….it was Morocco!
Sultan Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdullah was the most progressive Muslim leader of his time, recognizing the need to establish peaceful relations with the Christian world. He signed a decree in 1777 that opened Morocco’s ports to ships sailing under the American flag. The Sultan actively requested an American diplomat be sent to Morocco in order to negotiate a formal treaty and trade agreement but the message didn’t reach Benjamin Franklin until the end of 1778. It wasn’t until 1786 that the American consul in France, Thomas Barclay, arrived in Morocco where he negotiated the “Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship”. Later that same year, the treaty was signed by John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and then ratified by the Confederation Congress in 1787.
Morocco is home to the oldest U.S. diplomatic property in the world and the only U.S. National Historic Landmark located outside the United States. It is located in the medina of Tangiers and is called the Tangier American Legation. The property was given to the US in 1821 and is now a vibrant center of activity in Tangier’s old Medina with a museum, research library, and cultural center.