4 of 11

Write now Article Tools

1776 saw patriotic Americans comprise a third of the population of the soon to be United States of America with another third of the population Royalist Tories, backing the English crown, and the final third behind whoever was winning at any one given moment.

Enter Benjamin Franklin, who sailed to France in October 1776, on the ship Reprisal. After two miserable months at sea, he arrived in Auray to the widespread excitement of the French populace, and the disdain of the English ambassador, who was extremely suspicious of Franklin's motives. Franklin disliked the fuss & muss of Parisian life, and by not wearing the then in style powdered wig and fancy clothes, he showed it. Somehow, the Frenchmen looked upon Franklin's mannerisms as some visiting god from antiquity.

That visiting god worked his magic on the hearts and minds of those Frenchmen. They completely fell in love with the simple man from America. Franklin was wined and dined almost nightly by his hostesses. Sunday evenings he spent at home entertaining traveling Americans.

By day Franklin immediately got to work on obtaining the French King Louis XVs succor & assistance in the colonial rebellion against King George III of England. Patience was the name of the game. King Louis wasn't overly interested in jumping into a losing fray for fear of starting another war with England. The American request for ships was denied, but the King did offer two million livres in order to prevent the cause from being lost for the lack of funds. In reality, the King had little to do with decisions regarding the American war. His ministers were the decision makers. They felt money, arms, and safe harbor for American ships was all they could do at this early point of the War. Anything further could easily bring the wrath of both England and Spain upon their shores.

Franklin continued his negotiation with the result of The United States and France signing an alliance in February 1778. By June 1779, Spain entered the war against Great Britain when the British refused to cede Gibraltar to Spain.

In 1780 Comte de Rochambeau landed 5,000 French troops in Newport, Rhode Island to aid the patriots' cause.

In 1781 New York was attacked by a joint force of George Washington and Comte de Rochambeau with the support of Comte de Grasse's West Indian fleet. Beginning in August 1781 Comte de Grasse picked up several thousand each of both French and American soldiers in Chesapeake Bay to assist with the Battle of Yorktown, culminating in Cornwallis' surrender at the end of October. Washington wanted de Grasse to go back to recapture New York, but instead de Grasse sailed for the West Indies with his fleet.

However, by then, the damage to the English had been done. Multiple factors contributed to the demise of the British holdings in the western hemisphere, but certainly the French contributed a significant part. The threat of another stronger and larger force kept the English on their toes for most of the War. Fighting a large-scale land war with the colonies, and worrying about the possibility of an all out sea war with the French, gave the British food for thought. Fighting the Americans was one thing, but commencing an all out World War in Europe was another. England was nearly broke. The earlier French & Indian War had been costly.

We Americans have Benjamin Franklin to thank for his French persuasion. The French saw a chance to land a costly blow against their English enemy by striping away the resource rich American colonies from the British, and they succeeded.

Learn more about this author, Sherrie Smith.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about The pivotal role of the French in the American Revolution?
We want to hear your view. Write now!