Treaty of Alliance between the United States and France
- When
- 1778
- Where
- Paris, site of the treaty signing; Paris, where the alliance treaty was concluded; Paris, site of the commercial treaty's signing; United States Congress and France; Franco-British diplomatic rupture
- Episodes
- 5
On February 6, 1778, American commissioners and a French envoy signed the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in Paris, formalizing French recognition of the United States and a defensive military pact amid the American Revolutionary War.
Episodes
- Signing of the Treaty of Alliance and Treaty of Amity and Commerce
American commissioners and a French envoy signed both treaties in Paris on February 6, 1778, formalizing a defensive alliance and commercial relations.
- Terms of the Treaty of Alliance
The defensive alliance guaranteed French military support if commercial and diplomatic ties provoked hostilities with Britain, and allowed Spain to join.
- Treaty of Amity and Commerce: recognition and trade rights
The Treaty of Amity and Commerce established diplomatic and commercial relations, with France the first nation to formally recognize U.S. sovereignty.
- France notifies Britain; Britain declares war
France informed Britain of the treaties on March 13, 1778; Britain declared war four days later, bringing France into the American Revolutionary War.
- Ratification and congressional action
Congress received the signed text on May 2, 1778, ratified it unanimously on May 4, and France ratified on July 16, 1778.
Background and detail
Background. After the thirteen colonies declared independence in 1776, France—Britain's longtime rival, stung by losses in the French and Indian War and alarmed by Britain's Seven Years' War victory—emerged as their most obvious potential ally. French leaders had been planning a war of revenge since the 1763 Treaty of Paris.
Negotiation. Early in 1776, leading American statesmen weighed foreign alliances to aid their rebellion. Jefferson drafted conditions for a possible commercial treaty that declined French troops and any French authority in colonial affairs. With King Louis XVI's approval to negotiate a formal alliance, the colonies rejected a British reconciliation proposal in January 1778 and concluded the two treaties.
Significance and Aftermath. The agreements marked the United States' entry onto the world stage and formalized French recognition and support that proved decisive in American victory. France notified Britain on March 13, 1778, and Britain declared war four days later. Spain joined France against Britain via the Treaty of Aranjuez on April 12, 1779, as the alliance contemplated.
People involved
- Benjamin Franklin · American commissioner and signatory
- Arthur Lee · American commissioner and signatory
- Silas Deane · American commissioner and signatory
- Conrad Alexandre Gérard · French signatory, representative to the United States
- King Louis XVI · French monarch whose delegates and approval authorized the treaties
Sources
- Treaty of Alliance (1778) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-06-15
- Treaty of Amity and Commerce (France–United States) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-04
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.