Franco-American Alliance

Franco-American Alliance

▪ French military agreement
      (Feb. 6, 1778), agreement by France to furnish critically needed military aid and loans to the 13 insurgent American colonies, often considered the turning point of the U.S. War of Independence. Resentful over the loss of its North American empire after the French and Indian War, France welcomed the opportunity to undermine Britain's position in the New World.

      Though maintaining a position of neutrality from 1775 to 1777, France was already secretly furnishing the American colonists with munitions and loans. As early as 1776, the Continental Congress had established a joint diplomatic commission—composed of Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee—to seek recognition and financial aid from the Bourbon monarchy. The colonists' victory at the Battle of Saratoga (Saratoga, Battles of) (Oct. 17, 1777) was the show of strength needed to convince France that the revolutionaries would pursue the war to final victory. Hastening to act before the British peace overtures of the Carlisle Commission could tempt the colonists, the French foreign minister, the comte de Vergennes (Vergennes, Charles Gravier, comte de), succeeded in concluding the alliance the following February.

      Two treaties were signed. The first, a treaty of amity and commerce, officially recognized the new country and encouraged Franco-American trade. The second provided for a military alliance against Great Britain and also required recognition of absolute independence for the United States as a condition of peace. In addition, peace could be arrived at only by mutual French and U.S. consent. Finally, France renounced all territorial claims in North America east of the Mississippi River and in Bermuda, and it agreed to guarantee whatever U.S. boundaries existed at the war's end in exchange for U.S. guarantees of French possessions in the West Indies.

      The alliance greatly facilitated U.S. independence. The French fleet proceeded to challenge British control of North American waters and, together with troops and arms, proved an indispensable asset in the revolutionaries' victory at the Siege of Yorktown (1781), which ended the war. Later, however, the treaties proved embarrassing to the United States, threatening to involve the country in the French Revolutionary wars. After several years of strained relations, France and the United States agreed to the Treaty of Morfontaine (Sept. 30, 1800) to abrogate both 1778 treaties.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Franco-Mongol alliance — 1305 letter (a roll measuring 302 by 50 centimetres (9.91 by 1.6 ft)) from the Ilkhan Mongol Öljaitü to King Philip IV of France, suggesting military collaboration …   Wikipedia

  • Franco-Russian Alliance — Pont Alexandre III in Paris and the Trinity Bridge in St Petersburg remain two symbols of the Franco Russian Alliance. The Franco Russian Alliance was a military alliance betwee …   Wikipedia

  • Alliance franco-américaine — Image de gauche: Drapeau de la France avant 1789. Image de droite: Drapeau des États Unis de 1777 à 1795. L …   Wikipédia en Français

  • American Revolutionary War — Infobox Military Conflict conflict=American Revolutionary War caption=Clockwise from top left: Battle of Bunker Hill, Death of Montgomery at Quebec, Battle of Cowpens, Moonlight Battle date=1775–1783 place=Eastern Seabord, Central Canada, Hudson… …   Wikipedia

  • American Revolutionary War Campaigns — There were 16 campaigns in the Revolutionary War. The Revolutionary War streamer is scarlet with a white center stripe with golden yellow inscription. Scarlet is the color of the mother country and the white stripe symbolizes the virgin land of… …   Wikipedia

  • Alliance Base — is the cover name for a secret Western Counterterrorist Intelligence Center (CTIC) established in 2002 in Paris. The existence of CTICs were first revealed by Dana Priest in a 17 November 2005 Washington Post article… …   Wikipedia

  • Alliance franco-indienne (Amérique) — Pour l alliance franco indienne sur le sous continent indien voir Alliance franco indienne (Inde). Carte montrant, vers 1750, les possessions britanniques (en rouge), de la France (en bleu), et de l Espagne (brun) sur les territoires… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • alliance — /euh luy euhns/, n. 1. the act of allying or state of being allied. 2. a formal agreement or treaty between two or more nations to cooperate for specific purposes. 3. a merging of efforts or interests by persons, families, states, or… …   Universalium

  • Alliance — /euh luy euhns/, n. a city in NE Ohio. 24,315. * * * I In international politics, a union for joint action of various powers or states. Examples include the alliance of the European powers and the U.S. against Germany and its allies during World… …   Universalium

  • Auld Alliance — Foreign alliances of France Abbasid–Carolingian alliance 9th c. Franco Scottish alliance 1295–1560 Franco Polish alliance 1524–1526 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”