Treaty of Alliance (1778)

The Treaty of Alliance of 1778 was a defensive alliance between France and the United States during the American Revolutionary War. It committed France to support American independence and fight Britain if war resumed between France and Britain.

Benjamin Franklin: American diplomat, writer, and inventor who helped secure French support during the American Revolution. Franklin’s diplomacy in Paris helped bring France to the alliance.
Defensive alliance: An agreement in which parties promise mutual assistance if one is attacked. The treaty required France and the United States to defend one another under specified conditions.
French covert aid to the United States: Secret French assistance to the American rebels before France formally recognized the United States. Covert supplies preceded the treaty but did not impose its formal military obligations.
Anglo-French War (1778–1783): The global war between Britain and France that ran alongside the American Revolutionary War. The alliance brought France into direct conflict with Britain in 1778.
Battle of Saratoga: A 1777 American victory that persuaded France the rebellion could succeed. The victory strengthened French confidence before it recognized American independence.
American Revolutionary War: The 1775–1783 conflict in which the thirteen colonies won independence from Britain. The alliance tied French military support to the ongoing war for American independence.
Treaty of Alliance (1778) secret clauses: Confidential provisions of the 1778 alliance addressing Spanish participation and territorial claims. These clauses qualified the public commitments and anticipated a wider war.
Spain in the American Revolutionary War: Spain’s military campaign against Britain from 1779 to 1783, conducted without a formal alliance with the United States. French entry helped widen the conflict, though Spain pursued its own aims.
Treaty of Amity and Commerce (1778): An agreement between France and the United States establishing commercial relations and mutual recognition in 1778. Signed alongside the alliance, it established the diplomatic and commercial partnership.
Treaty of Paris (1783): The peace treaty that ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized United States independence. The 1778 agreement barred either ally from making peace with Britain without the other’s consent.

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