Read the following passage, then answer the questions below.

In France, enthusiasm for the American cause was high: The French intellectual world was itself stirring against feudalism and privilege. However, the Crown lent its support to the colonies for geopolitical rather than ideological reasons: The French government had been eager for reprisal against Britain ever since France's defeat in 1763. To further the American cause, Benjamin Franklin was sent to Paris in 1776. His wit, guile, and intellect soon made their presence felt in the French capital, and played a major role in winning French assistance.

France began providing aid to the colonies in May 1776, when it sent 14 ships with war supplies to America. In fact, most of the gunpowder used by the American armies came from France. After Britain's defeat at Saratoga, France saw an opportunity to seriously weaken its ancient enemy and restore the balance of power that had been upset by the Seven Years' War (called the French and Indian War in the American colonies). On February 6, 1778, the colonies and France signed a Treaty of Amity and Commerce, in which France recognized the United States and offered trade concessions. They also signed a Treaty of Alliance, which stipulated that if France entered the war, neither country would lay down its arms until the colonies won their independence, that neither would conclude peace with Britain without the consent of the other, and that each guaranteed the other's possessions in America. This was the only bilateral defense treaty signed by the United States or its predecessors until 1949.

The Franco-American alliance soon broadened the conflict. In June 1778 British ships fired on French vessels, and the two countries went to war. In 1779 Spain, hoping to reacquire territories taken by Britain in the Seven Years' War, entered the conflict on the side of France, but not as an ally of the Americans. In 1780 Britain declared war on the Dutch, who had continued to trade with the Americans. The combination of these European powers, with France in the lead, was a far greater threat to Britain than the American colonies standing alone.

American History Module - Franco-American Alliance | Student Handouts



American History Module - Franco-American Alliance


1. What American intellectual and inventor was sent to Paris in 1776 to gain France's support for the American Revolution?

Benjamin Franklin
John Adams
John Dickinson
Paul Revere
2. The French sent very little aid to the American colonies during the French Revolution.

True
False
3. In what treaty, signed on February 6, 1778, did France recognize the United States and offer trade concessions?

North American Free Trade Act
Treaty of Alliance
Treaty of Amity and Commerce
Versailles Treaty
4. What was the only bilateral defense treaty signed by the United States or its predecessors until 1949?

Treaty of Alliance
Treaty of Amity and Commerce
Treaty of Lisbon
Versailles Treaty
5. Great Britain went to war with all but which of the following countries during the American Revolution?

Denmark
France
Netherlands
Spain
Top

 
Student Handouts > Study Games > American History Study Games > Revolutionary War Study Games
 
Interactive U.S. History Module on the Franco-American Alliance in the American Revolution