by will sprout

Created on: August 23, 2009   Last Updated: August 26, 2009

The role of France in the American Revolution.

From 1756 to 1763 the sound of war echoed around the world; from Canada down to the West Indies, and from the English Channel to the remote outposts in India, through to the Philippines. This was the Seven Years War.

It was a time when the European colonial powers fought for supremacy on land and on the high seas, disturbing the tranquillity of tropical places with its cannon fire and filling the scented air with the smell of cordite.

It became a time of regret for France and her allies; they had taken on the might of the British Empire, and lost, forfeiting most of her territories in North America and India.

The continental wars had weighed heavily upon Britain drastically reducing her manpower in the defence of the British colonies scattered throughout the world. The monetary cost too was high, too high, and with the added expense of maintaining the peace, especially in the American Colonies more money was required.

The war which had taken place in America became known as the 'French and Indian Wars,' and after this war the government of Britain demanded more money from the colonies to fund its endeavours in maintaining peace. To justify this several Acts were past mainly regarding additional taxes. The continued demands from Britain put a strain on colonial America, which eventually led to a conflict on Lexington Green on the 19th of April, 1775, between the local militia and the king's soldiers commanded by Lieutenant General Gage. It had been the intention of Gage to disarm the colonial militias at Concord and seize munitions and gunpowder to prevent the possibility of armed conflict.

But it was not to be and for the next eight years the cannons would boom out their fearful din, breaking the tranquillity of another peaceful land and the smell of cordite would linger long after the smoke had cleared.

The feelings between Britain and France were still a volatile situation, with France continuing to hold the grudge over loosing her territories. With the outbreak of the colonial war many French became sympathetic to the American cause identifying the possibility of a new encounter. From the time the announcement of war was released in America the French began to reform her Army and Navy; new equipment, new ships, better trained personnel; it became a time for rebuilding the French strength. By the time the French Army landed at Newport in 1781 France had a modern armed and equipped force.

France needed

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