by Martie Lownsberry

Created on: August 21, 2009

When the American colonists tired of the English parliaments taxes and acts and decided to make a bid for independence, they had the sympathy of France.

France and Britain were age old enemies. Frances humiliating defeat to the British in the seven year war did not improve the situation between the two countries so France was more than happy to see Britain's colonies in America rebelling against their mother country.

When Benjamin Franklin went to France acting as the ambassador for the colonies he was well received. He was able to negotiate the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and a Treaty of Alliance with France. However, he was not able to gain France's open support in the matter of the colonies fight for independence. They insisted on keeping a formal neutrality between Britain and the colonies.

However, informally France assisted the colonists war efforts by supplying arms, uniforms, and much needed military supplies to the Washington's continental army.

France's biggest contribution in those early years was to grant some of their own young and seasoned leaders vacations so they could join the American cause.

Several of these young military leaders not only joined the colonial forces but many of them pledged their personal wealth to help equip, train and lead the colonial army. Probably the most well known of these young Frenchmen is the Marquis de Lafayette who not only helped trained the rag tag colonial army but also served at Washington's side.

After Washington and his troops defeated Burgoyne in 1777, France seeing that the colonist could actually win their fight for independence openly began to support the colonists. They extended considerably more financial aid and equipment to the effort as well as sending in French troops.

France's most important contribution to the Revolutionary War came in 1780 when Rochambeau landed 5 battalions of Infantry and Artillery in Rhode Island. In 1781 he and his troops then marched to Virginia to join Washington and Lafayette in a 700 mile trek to Yorktown Pennsylvania where British General Cornwallis was trapped on the Yorktown peninsula awaiting the British navy to rescue to him.

Rochambeau had foreseen such a rescue attempt and had sent a French fleet to intercept the British navy. They did so forcing the navy to withdraw.

Cornwallis was trapped. When the combined French and American armies marched into Yorktown on September 14, 1781 Cornwallis defeat was as good as accomplished. Cornwallis surrendered on October 19th . He and his troops had to march through a tunnel of French and American forces that stretched a mile long.

It was France's financial backing and other aid that had kept Washington's army going in those early years of the Revolutionary war and it was France's forces under the leadership of Rochambeau that won the decisive victory at Yorktown to end the Revolutionary war.

In many ways the United States is a free and independent country today because of Frances support, and leadership. Without that countries aid the war for independence would not have been won.

To read more about France's role in the revolution see:

The French Contribution to the war for independence: people.csail.mit.edu/sfelshin/saintonge/frhist.html

French Volunteers in the American Revolution:xenophongroup.com/mcjoynt/volunt.htm

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