Morocco was the first country to recognize the independence of the United States during the American Revolutionary War. In 1777, Sultan Mohammed ben Abdallah opened Moroccan ports to American ships, an act treated as recognition of the new nation.
The gesture came only about a year after the Declaration of Independence. Morocco’s sultan had followed the conflict and wanted to establish friendly commercial relations with the Americans, even while the war against Britain was still underway.
Morocco’s early recognition is sometimes confused with the first formal treaty recognition. Morocco and the United States signed the Treaty of Marrakesh in 1786, creating a formal peace and friendship agreement. That treaty is widely regarded as the foundation of the two countries’ continuing diplomatic relationship.
France became the first major European power to recognize the United States and sign treaties with it, doing so in 1778. Spain later entered the war against Britain, while the Dutch Republic recognized the United States in 1782. Morocco’s earlier action remains a notable connection between North Africa and the American independence movement.