The relationship between the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America dates back to the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783) and specifically since 1777 when Morocco under Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah became the first country in the world to recognize the independence of the United States.
Morocco remains one of America's oldest and closest allies in North Africa, a status affirmed by Morocco's zero-tolerance policy towards Al-Qaeda and their affiliated groups. In fact, the European powers were edging towards engaging in a continental war because of Morocco in 1905. President Theodore Roosevelt played an important role in settling the affair during the 1906 Algeciras Conference.
The historical relationship between the United States and Morocco is exemplified by a significant exchange of letters between their leaders. One of the many letters between America and Morocco was one by first President George Washington to Muhammed Ibn Abdullah. On December 1, 1789, eight months into his presidency, Washington speaks on his authority and leadership of the United States and the miscommunication between Morocco and America.
To fully appreciate the context of this correspondence, it is essential to understand the circumstances surrounding the birth of the United States and its early diplomatic endeavors.
The Dawn of US-Moroccan Relations
Even though the Independence Day celebrations take place on this date, the ratification of the famous declaration only marked the beginning of a long and bloody battle for freedom from British rule. With the years of war ahead, the 13 colonies needed allies.
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It is true that the French are known for taking up arms alongside the Americans; yet, Morocco, the Muslim-majority Arab-African state, was the first to recognize the newly independent United States. On December 20th, 1777, Moroccan Sultan Mohammed Ben Abdallah (Mohammed III) announced that all ships sailing under the US flag could freely enter Moroccan ports.
"This action, under the diplomatic practice of Morocco at the end of the 18th century, put the United States on an equal footing with all other nations with which the Sultan had treaties," the US State Department Office of the Historian explains.
The following year, Moroccan and American diplomats began correspondence that eventually led to the negotiation of a formal treaty between the two nations. On July 18th, 1787, Congress ratified the US-Morocco Treaty of Peace and Friendship, which defined the framework of diplomatic relations in addition to non-hostile guarantees, market access “on the most favoured nation basis” and the protection of US ships from foreign attacks in Moroccan waters.
1787 Moroccan Treaty: The oldest treaty with the United States
George Washington's Letter: A Message of Gratitude and Hope
In his letter, Washington expresses his regrets in lack of punctuality but clarifies that the untimely response was due to change in government and the desire to communicate on solidified terms. Washington also shows appreciation for Muhammed Ibn Abdullah's diplomatic initiative tactics in protection of American ships from pirates. These actions are appreciated because of the lack of power United States as a country had held at the moment.
Here are some key excerpts from the letter:
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“This young nation, just recovering from the waste and desolation of a long war, have not, as yet, had time to acquire riches by agriculture and commerce. but our soil is bountiful, and our people industrious; and we have reason to flatter ourselves, that we shall gradually become useful to our friends … I shall not cease to promote every measure that may conduce to the friendship and harmony,”
The United States, having unanimously appointed me as the supreme executive authority in this nation, your Majestys letter of the 17th of August 1788, which by reason of the dissolution of the late Government, remained unanswered, has been delivered to me.
I have also received the letters, which your Imperial Majesty has been so kind as to write, in favor of the United States, to the Bashaws of Tunis and Tripoli, and I present to you the sincere acknowledgements and thanks of the United States for this important mark of your friendship for them.
We greatly regret that the hostile disposition of those regencies towards this nation, who have never injured them, is not to be removed on terms in our power to comply with.
Within our territories there are no mines either of Gold or Silver, and this young Nation, just recovering from the waste and desolation of a long war, have [sic] not, as yet, had time to acquire riches by agriculture and Commerce.
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But our soil is bountiful and our people industrious, and we have reason to flatter ourselves that we shall gradually become useful to our friends.
The encouragement which your Majesty has been pleased, generously, to give our Commerce with your Dominion, the punctuality with which you have caused the Treaty with us to be observed, and the just and generous measures taken in the case of Captain Proctor, make as a deep impression on the United States, and confirm this respect for, and attachment to your Imperial Majesty.
It gives me pleasure to have this opportunity of assuring your Majesty that, while I remain at the head of this nation, I shall not cease to promote every measure that may conduce to the Friendship and Harmony which so happily subsist between your Empire and them, and shall count myself happy in every occasion of convincing your majesty of the high sense (which in common with the whole nation) I entertain of the Magnanimity, Wisdom, and Benevolence of your Majesty.
In the course of the approaching winter, the national legislature (which is called by the former name of Congress) will assemble, and I shall take care that nothing be omitted that may be necessary to cause the correspondence between our two countries to be maintained and conducted in an manner agreeable to your Majesty, and satisfactory to all the parties concerned in it.
May the Almighty bless your Imperial Majesty, our great and magnanimous Friend, with his constant guidance and protection.
The Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Washington, D.C., on May 6, 1994, provided a letter in response to a request from Yusef Ali, Grand Sheikh of the Moorish Mosque in Brooklyn, New York for information on letters exchanged between George Washington, President of the United States of America and His Imperial Majesty Mohammed Ibn Abd Allah (H.M.
In his letter to George Washington, Mohammed III, the Emperor of Morocco acknowledged receipt of his letter and informed him that it was Morocco’s intention to maintain peaceful relations with the United States of America. The Emperor confirmed that he had contacted Tunis and Tripoli regarding the President’s request.
The Treaty of Peace and Friendship established between H.M. Mohammed III, the Emperor of Morocco and the United States of America, which is confirmed, and which was ordered to be written in the book, and sealed with the royal seal, at the court of Morocco, on the twenty-fifth day of the blessed month of Shaban, in the year one thousand two hundred.
The Treaty was signed and sealed by the Ministers Plenipotentiary, John Adams in London on January 25, 1787 and by Thomas Jefferson in Paris on January 1, 1787.
This treaty, the first of a series that came to be known collectively as the “Barbary Treaties,” did more than just cement the Revolutionary-era friendship between the two nations. It made clear that the new United States was an economic and political actor on the world stage, one whose relationships and alliances would extend far beyond Europe.
On 20 December 1777, Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah commissioned the Dutch consul in Salé to write letters to European merchants and consuls in Tangier, Salé, Larache and Mogador stating that vessels sailing under the American flag could enter Morocco's ports, alongside those of European countries with which Morocco had no diplomatic ties, such as Russia and Prussia, under the same conditions as those enjoyed by the nations that had treaty relations.
Information about the Sultan's desire for friendly relations did not reach Benjamin Franklin, the American emissary to the Kingdom of France in Paris before April 1778 at the earliest. In 1777, Morocco sought to change its trade relationship with the nascent United States. Sultan Sidi Muhammad Ibn Abdullah actively sought to have an American diplomat negotiate a formal treaty, but meanwhile Moroccan pirates threatened American merchant shipping in the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, Thomas Barclay, the American consul in France, arrived in Morocco in 1786.
Morocco was the first Amazigh, Arab, African, or Muslim state to sign a treaty with America.
Table: Key Events in US-Morocco Relations
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| December 20, 1777 | Morocco recognizes the independence of the United States. |
| July 18, 1787 | Congress ratifies the US-Morocco Treaty of Peace and Friendship. |
| December 1, 1789 | George Washington sends a letter to Sultan Mohammed Ben Abdallah. |
A digitized version of George Washington's letter to the Sultan of Morocco.
The Enduring Legacy
Today, the US-Morocco Treaty of Peace and Friendship, the oldest US treaty of its kind still in force, remains the longest unbroken relationship in US history. During the American Civil War, Morocco reaffirmed its diplomatic alliance with the United States (Union).
Since gaining independence from France on March 2, 1956, Morocco has been committed to nurturing a special relationship with the United States, based on both nations' historical ties and on a succession of personal friendships between Mohammed V, Hassan II, and now Mohammed VI and their American Presidential counterparts. Morocco has also played a critical role in explaining the larger role of Arab policy to the United States.
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