history/topics/us-presidents/george-washington In the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), France fought alongside the Revolutionists (Britains colonies), against Britain, in 1778. French money, munitions, soldiers and naval forces proved essential to Americas victory over the Crown. Benjamin Franklin served as the Colonies ambassador to France from 1776 to 1783. He met with many leading diplomats, aristocrats, intellectuals, scientists and financiers, trying to recruit allies. Franklins image and writings caught the French imagination – there were many images of him sold on the market – and he became the icon of the archetypal NEW American (or one from the Americas, as we were not yet our own country) and even a hero for aspirations for a new order inside France.[1] The French motive for siding with the colonies was to weaken Britain, both to keep it from getting too powerful (Britain had become the bully on the planet) and to exact revenge for the defeat in the Seven Years War. After the colonials capture of the British invasion army at Saratoga in 1777, and after the French navy had been built up, France was ready to begin the military campaign to help the colonies overthrow their masters. In 1778 France recognized the colonies as a sovereign nation, the United States of America, signed a military alliance, and went to war with Britain. They built coalitions with the Netherlands and Spain that kept Britain without a significant ally of its own, provided the Americans with grants, arms and loans, sent a combat army to serve under George Washington, and sent a navy that prevented the second British army from escaping from Yorktown in 1781. In all, the French spent about 1.3 billion livres (in modern currency, approximately thirteen billion U.S. dollars) to support the Americans directly, not including the money it spent fighting Britain on land and sea outside the U.S.[2] The colonials learned, if you cannot achieve freedom through your own means, because of lack of arms and troops, then borrow them from someone. Foreign aid proved vital in the victory of the Americans seeking to throw off their own government. France got its revenge on an old enemy and made a new ally and trading partner. Isnt history, interesting.
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 01:20:32 +0000
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