American history in Tangier

In my trip to Tangier, I had the opportunity to visit a very significant location in U.S. history: the American Legation Museum or as it’s now known, the Tangier American Legation Institute for Moroccan Studies (TALIM). This is the only U.S. National Historic Landmark outside of the U.S., and will probably remain so. A Rotarian from Tangier Detroit, Jerry Loftus, is the director of TALIM and provided a tour of TALIM. This was a very educational experience that I'll certainly try to share with as many people as possible, especially Americans.

The relationship with Morocco was very significant in the U.S. independence movement, as the Sultan of Morocco was the first to recognize the U.S. as an independent country in 1777. If things are put in historical context, in 1777 the U.S. was still in the midst of the Revolutionary War and the very question of U.S. independence was still undecided. Moroccan-American relations are marked by the first Legation to be sent overseas to establish diplomatic relations (which was sent to Tangier) as well as the longest unbroken treaty in American history, the Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship. After learning all of this, and much more, I think it is very important that other Americans appreciate this relationship and are aware of the significance of this landmark.

TALIM seems quite simple and cozy, yet it hosts a research library, much artwork relevant to Tangier and Moroccan history, as well as cultural and community events. They also hold Arabic language classes for illiterate adult females- Jerry mentioned that an 81 year old woman recently enrolled! What an inspiration for the new year, that the human mind is also yearning for more.