History

France and the American War of Independence (1775-1783)

France and the American War of Independence

France played a decisive role in the independence of the United States of America. From 1778 to 1783, thousands of French citizens fought alongside the American insurgents.

The treaties of alliance, friendship, and commerce of February 6, 1778, took the form of a defensive rapprochement. King Louis XVI did not wish to be the aggressor. Until the peace treaty of September 1783, France was the only nation to recognize American independence.

Major Milestones

  • 1775: Hostilities begin at Lexington and Concord
  • 1776: Declaration of Independence; first French volunteers; secret aid via Beaumarchais
  • 1777: La Fayette in America; victory at Saratoga
  • 1778: Franco-American Treaty of Alliance; France enters the war
  • 1780: Landing of Rochambeau’s Expeditionary Corps at Newport
  • 1781: Decisive victory at Yorktown and the Chesapeake
  • 1783: Treaty of Versailles – Peace and independence

French Contribution

French aid was military (Rochambeau’s Expeditionary Corps, Admiral de Grasse’s fleet, troops stationed in the Antilles), financial (loans and subsidies), and diplomatic (international recognition, pressure on Great Britain).

According to Warrington Dawson’s study (1936), 2,112 French citizens lost their lives on American soil or in American waters.

The Peace of 1783

A few additional successes in the Mediterranean (the recapture of Minorca) and in the Antilles, tempered by the naval defeat at the Saintes in April 1782, led the British government to seek an end to an unpopular and financially unbearable war.

All the belligerents concluded peace at Versailles on September 3, 1783. England recognized the independence of its former colonies. George Washington, having returned to his lands like Cincinnatus, was elevated to the presidency of the new Federation.

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