The 17th of December, 1777, was a critical day in the history of the American Revolution and, thus, the history of the United States. On that day, the United States gained recognition for its rebellion and formalized the French alliance that aided its victory.
Although Ben Franklin had been dazzling Parisians for about a year by December of 1777, the French government was lukewarm on the possibility of recognizing the United States and aiding its war for independence. Make no mistake, the French wanted revenge on the British for their many defeats in the Seven Years War (ended 1763). Yet, they were skeptical about America’s chances to win, and thus reluctant to get involved in any official capacity.
The event that changed everything was the defeat of British general John Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga in October of 1777. Despite issuing the Declaration of Independence, 1776 hadn’t been a good year for the United States militarily. With the victory of Horatio Gates over Burgoyne in New York, however, Franklin was able to persuade the French government the US had a realistic shot at winning, and the French alliance was consummated.
The event that led to the French alliance – John Trumbull’s painting of Burgoyne’s surrender at Saratoga
Impact of the French Alliance
Over the years, I’ve had a few students joke about the French alliance. Knowing France’s penchant for military defeat in the modern era, they joke about why the US even bothered to ask France for aid. (Rule #1 of French Warfare – they’re there when they need you. Rule #2 of French Warfare – French armies are most successful when led by non-French. Rule #3 of French Warfare – well, you get the idea.) And it’s true that France sent no large military force to the US during our revolution. There were military advisors, such as the famous Marquis de Lafayette, but no ground armies.
France’s critical military contribution turned out to be the presence of the French fleet at the Battle of Yorktown. With George Washington surrounding the British by land, malarial mosquitos reducing British fighting capacity by half (Yorktown was near a swamp), and the French fleet sealing off possible escape, the British General Cornwallis surrendered, and independence was assured for the United States.
There is an interesting aftermath to the French Alliance. The whole point of an alliance is that both allies help each other when one is in need. In 1792, France kicked off its rounds of wars with the rest of Europe that eventually became known as the Napoleonic Wars. Naturally, it asked the United States to come to its assistance. President George Washington declined, claiming that the French alliance had been with the French government of 1777 (France, you may recall, had had its own revolution in the meantime) rather than with France itself. Skeptics would point out this began a long tradition of the United States honoring treaties when convenient. Readers ruffled by this statement should speak with an American Indian regarding the fidelity of the US government to the treaties it signs.
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1927 postage stamp of Burgoyne’s surrender
There is one other important thing to note about the French alliance, however. It demonstrates the importance of studying military and political events side-by-side. Generally, there are two approaches to studying war. One is the study of battles and their tactics. Who won, who lost, and how. Then, there are those who don’t care about battles but do care about the consequences of wars. How did they change the winner and losers, and why. The French alliance, however, demonstrates the importance of combining these approaches. Political events influence military strategy, which in turn influences future political events. I know this isn’t the easy way to study history, but it’s the right way.
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