The first country to officially recognize the independence of the United States was Morocco, in 1777. This was a year before the second country, Holland, recognized the United States' independence and six years before Britain and most of the rest of Europe did. This early recognition led many of the founding fathers of the U.S. to have an extremely positive view of Islam and the Arabic world in general. For instance, Thomas Jefferson hosted an Iftar during Ramadan during his presidency, and George Washington welcomed several Muslims to work at Mount Vernon.
More facts about U.S. diplomatic relations:
- The U.S. has diplomatic relations with almost every country in the world, with the exception of North Korea, Cuba, Bhutan and Iran. Additionally, the U.S. has unofficial relations with Western Sahara, Ogaden and Taiwan.
- The oldest U.S. diplomatic property is in Tangier, Morocco. Though it is no longer used for diplomatic matters, the original building still stands as a national monument.
- The Moroccan–American Treaty of Friendship is the longest unbroken treaty relationship in the history of the U.S., having been in force since 1787.