Today in History: February 6
The Franco-American Alliance
The two contracting Parties shall each on its own Part, and in the manner it may judge most proper, make all the efforts in its Power, against their common Enemy, in order to attain the end proposed.Treaty of Alliance
Article Three,
signed February 6, 1778, in Paris, France.
The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
The Signing of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and of Alliance between France and the United States,
photograph of a painting by Charles E. Mills,
circa 1900-1920.
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America: 1880-1920
On February 6, 1778, France and the fledgling United States of America signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance in Paris, France. The Treaty of Amity and Commerce recognized the United States as an independent nation and promoted trade between France and the United States. The Treaty of Alliance created a military alliance against Great Britain, stipulating American independence as a condition of peace. The treaty also required France and the U.S. to concur in any peace agreement.
Benjamin Franklin,
photograph of a painting,
circa 1900-1920
Touring Turn-of-the-Century America, 1880-1920
Secretly aiding the American colonies since 1775, France's helpfulness was spurred by resentment over the loss of American territory to Britain in the French and Indian War. In 1776, the Continental Congress sent diplomats Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane, and Arthur Lee to secure a formal alliance with France. American victory over the British in the Battle of Saratoga convinced the French that the Americans were committed to independence and worthy partners to a formal alliance. Over the course of the war, France contributed an estimated 12,000 soldiers and 32,000 sailors to the American war effort.
U.S. Capitol Paintings, Lafayette in House Chamber,
Theodor Horydczak, photographer,
circa 1920-1950.
Washington As It Was, 1923-1959
The Marquis de Lafayette, a French aristocrat, arrived in Philadelphia in July 1777 and offered his services to the Continental Army. Serving as a major general in the Continental forces, he quickly forged a life-long friendship with American commander in chief George Washington. After distinguishing himself on the battlefield, he returned to France early in 1779 and successfully urged the government to send a 6,000-man expeditionary army to the United States. Back in America by April 1780, Lafayette returned to the business of war, playing a key role in securing victory over British commander Lord Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown in late July.
- Read correspondence between George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette. Search the George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress, 1741-1799 on the term Lafayette to locate letters the friends and comrades exchanged during and after the Revolutionary War.
- Information about the French in North America, is available in the Today in History features on Illinois, Louisiana, and Michigan.
- Find more material documenting the United States' early relations with France in Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention, 1774-1789. To locate additional documents, search the full text of the collection on France.
- Learn more about eighteenth-century France by viewing The Rise and Fall of the Absolute Monarchy, in the online exhibition Creating French Culture: Treasures from the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
The Royal Palace, Versailles, France,
circa 1908.
Taking the Long View, 1851-1991