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all 41 comments
[–]speedyyouri[🍰] 30 points31 points32 points  (4 children)
France recognized the United States as an independent state on February 6, 1778.
The Netherlands was the first foreign country to salute the American Flag on November 16, 1776.[2] On 19 April 1782 John Adams was received by the States General in The Hague and recognized as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America. By doing so, it became the second foreign country to recognize the United States
[–]messy_eater 9 points10 points11 points  (0 children)
Morocco, more like Morocbro, right guys?
[–]Cinemaphreak 6 points7 points8 points  (0 children)
TFW your source contradicts you because there is conflicting evidence whether you are correct enough. At least enough to make your "Wrong" statement itself incorrect.....
The Republic of Ragusa, a merchant republic centered at the Croatian city of Dubrovnik, was one of the first foreign countries to de iure recognize independence of the United States. Sources differ on when the recognition took place: some travel guides and tourist portals claim that Ragusa was the very first country to recognize the United States as early as 1776,[9][10] a document whose copy was presented to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney in 2006 reportedly puts the date at 1783,[11] while the Council of American Ambassadors claims that the recognition was extended during the term of the second President of the United States, John Adams, thus between 1797 and 1801.
[–]Ihatethemuffinman 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
Ragusa was a vassal to Austria at the time, and the article states that such an early recognition is up for debate.

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Comments, continued...

[–]Sympathy_for_the_FO 26 points27 points28 points  (14 children)
And the first country to wage war against it. i.e. The First, and Second Barbary Wars. Our first opponent as a country was a Muslim country. This is why the United States Navy was created, after being completely deactivated after the Revolution.
[–]Thranduil-9 28 points29 points30 points  (0 children)
Not really Morocco but mainly against the regency of Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli.
[–]alexksak 34 points35 points36 points  (5 children)
Your comment is a bit misinformed.
The guys we were at war with were city-states from modern day Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. They don't qualify as "countries" or "nations", and were not the Kingdom of Morocco [Sultanate... thanks for correction].
Also, our first war was against some pirates who happened to be Muslim. It's not like that was about Jihad or fighting infidels... They were pirates who asked for tribute for passing in or near their waters, and looted ships that did not pay.
[–]gammonbudju -2 points-1 points0 points  (1 child)
The Sultanate of Morocco and it was a participant in the first barbary war.
[–]alexksak 13 points14 points15 points  (0 children)
A Sultan is an analog to a king, but yes you are technically correct.
Also for clarification, the Sultanate of Morocco was not fighting the US. The pirate city-states that were fighting the US were claimed by the Sultanate of Morocco and the Ottoman Empire, and de jure belonged to the Ottomans and at one point to Morocco. They were de facto independant at the point of the wars though.
The Sultanate of Morocco actually declared that American trading ships were to be allowed safe passage. Of course, the pirate states didn't really care.
[–]Sympathy_for_the_FO comment score below threshold-6 points-5 points-4 points  (2 children)
Your comment is a bit misinformed.
Also, the guys we were at war with were city-states from modern day Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. They don't qualify as "countries" or "nations",...
They were vassal states of the Ottoman Empire.
...and were not the Kingdom of Morocco.
At the time it was called the Sultanate of Morocco.
[–]alexksak 9 points10 points11 points  (0 children)
They were on paper vassal states of the Ottoman Empire, and also claimed by Morocco.
In effect, the Ottomans had no hold on them, and those cities were operating independantly and insubordinately. They were for all intents and purposes independant city-states governed locally by gangs who made a living off of looting ships, similar to some cities in Somalia around 2005-2010.
Also you know Ottoman doesn't equal Morocco I suppose, so your first comment is still mostly wrong. Morocco was not
the first country to wage war against it [USA]
[–]thisisntevenmyreal 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
being a vassal of the ottomans didn't mean much. the ottomans ruled In a very hands off approach. as long as those states were paying taxes, the ottomans didn't care how.
when other powers told the ottomans to stop those guys, the ottomans were like "sorry bro our hands are tied!" and didn't even bother doing anything about it.
[–]disfixiated 2 points3 points4 points  (5 children)
Where can I read more on this? I've never heard of the Barbary wars.
[–]Subway87 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
Check out the book "Power, Faith, and Fantasy". It's a great read and covers US relations with the Middle East from the Barbary pirates until the Iraq wars. It's mind blowing how interconnected our cultures/counties are.
[–]ListenToGeorgeCarlin comment score below threshold-20 points-19 points-18 points  (2 children)
The Pirates in said war later became the Somali pirates we know and love today
[–]almostagolfer 15 points16 points17 points  (0 children)
Not likely. Somalia is a couple thousand miles away on the East coast of Africa. Morocco is on the Northwest coast.
[–]TrumpDid9_11 9 points10 points11 points  (0 children)
Bro, your geography skills are not even E for effort.
[–]thisisntevenmyreal 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
morocco was not in control of those pirates.
[–]The_3rdRevelation 3 points4 points5 points  (4 children)
What about Breakfast at Tiffany's?
[–]CCsMaoxiong 6 points7 points8 points  (1 child)
I think I remember that film.
[–]TheCeilingisGreen 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
If I recall I think we both rather liked it.
[–]Jjtardiff -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
Now that's what I said
[–]Traincakes -2 points-1 points0 points  (0 children)
What about Adolf?
[–]kyleksq 2 points3 points4 points  (1 child)
What about the United States?
[–]TortaDelBBQ 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
Wasn't a nation technically until it won.
[–]Turboduc3 1 point2 points3 points  (0 children)
What about Bob?
[–]RisingMango 2 points3 points4 points  (0 children)
What about Reddit
[–]BaronBifford [score hidden]  (0 children)
A bit hasty, since the War of Independence was only won in 1783. Declaring independence is fun and all, but you have to win the war to make it mean something.
[–]QuarterOztoFreedom 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
What about France
[–]AllThatJazz 0 points1 point2 points  (0 children)
What about the cosmological constant?
[–]utamavsully -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
France was the first nation. Thats why they sent their army to support us breaking free from British rule. If they had believed us not to be a sovereign nation then they would not have sent help. That was a very risky move for them to support us, politically, because it could have caused the British to declare war on France, and in turn caused fighting between the two countries in Europe, as well as the US.
[–]fivetickaticka -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
What about Smee?
[–]fivetickaticka -1 points0 points1 point  (0 children)
What about love!?
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