On December 20, 1777 Sultan Siki Mumammad Ben Abdullah of Morocco announced that all vessels under the American flag could freely enter the Moroccan ports and enjoy the same privileges as other nations that had treaties with Morocco. In doing so, Morocco became the first nation to publicly acknowledge the independence of the American Republic. Our first treaty with Morocco was signed in 1787 and lasted fifty years. During Andrew Jackson’s second term, he set out to negotiate a new treaty with our oldest and first friend along the Barbary Coast.
Because we were at war with Great Britain in 1777, Congress did not take any action on negotiating the first treaty until the Spring of 1984 when Congress authorized a commission of Benjamin Franklin, John Jay and John Adams to conclude treaties of friendship and commerce with major European powers as well as the Barbary States including Morocco, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli. In 1786 Thomas Barclay under the directions of the commission negotiated a Treaty of Friendship and Amity with Morocco. Thomas Jefferson signed the treaty in Paris on January 1, 1787 and John Adams in London on January 25th, 1787. The treaty was binding for 50 years and during his second term as President, Andrew Jackson had the pleasure of renewing the treaty. In his Annual Address of 1835, Jackson recognized the value of the treaty as being the first one with any of the Barbary powers and told Congress that he was ready to " take measures to renew it with the greater satisfaction as its stipulations are just and liberal and have been, with mutual fidelity and reciprocal advantage, scrupulously fulfilled".
"Our newly established relations with the Sublime Porte promise to be useful to our commerce and satisfactory in every respect to this Government. Our intercourse with the Barbary Powers continues without important change, except that the present political state of Algiers has induced me to terminate the residence there of a salaried consul and to substitute an ordinary consulate, to remain so long as the place continues in the possession of France. Our first treaty with one of these powers, the Emperor of Morocco, was formed in 1786, and was limited to fifty years. That period has almost expired. I shall take measures to renew it with the greater satisfaction as its stipulations are just and liberal and have been, with mutual fidelity and reciprocal advantage, scrupulously fulfilled."
President Jackson then appointed James R. Leib to negotiate the renewal of the treaty with Sultan Abderrrahman of Morocco. Jackson gave him instructions to renew the treaty indefinitely and secure even greater privileges for American merchants. The Sultan was very gracious and renewed the treaty on September 16, 1836 as requested. Leib endorsed the treaty on October 1, 1835 and it was officially proclaimed on January 30, 1837. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Morocco was one of the first Arab and Islamic States to denounce the terrorist attacks and renewed its commitment to be a strong ally of the United States.
References
Presidency.ucsb.edu. 2020. Sixth Annual Message | The American Presidency Project. [online] Available at: <https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/sixth-annual-message-2> [Accessed 5 April 2020].
U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Morocco. 2020. History Of The U.S. And Morocco | U.S. Embassy & Consulate In Morocco. [online] Available at: <https://ma.usembassy.gov/our-relationship/policy-history/io/> [Accessed 5 April 2020].
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