TFSmith121
Banned
The French began providing aid "unofficially" in 1776
The French began providing aid "unofficially" in 1776 (after the British retreat from Boston, of course) and then more significantly (Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie); then when the Americans won at Saratoga, the French went all in...
So there was a little more to it than that.
Again, Britain's rise was a threat to France and the European powers; it is completely rational that they took advantage of the American Revolution, in the same sense the Americans would not have rebelled absent the impact of the Seven Years/French and Indian war in North America.
All of the conflicts above ocurreed in essentially the "same" strategic environment, which is the point; absent the Atlantic world, they are not going to happen -with it, they will.
Best,
As long as countries like France and Spain were footing the bills and providing critical supplies like gunpowder. Apropos gunpowder: american armies drew 90% of their consumption from France; without France, they can fire a couple of volleys and then they have to resort to swords, clubs and stones (how the battle ends is left as an exercise to the reader).
The French began providing aid "unofficially" in 1776 (after the British retreat from Boston, of course) and then more significantly (Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie); then when the Americans won at Saratoga, the French went all in...
So there was a little more to it than that.
Again, Britain's rise was a threat to France and the European powers; it is completely rational that they took advantage of the American Revolution, in the same sense the Americans would not have rebelled absent the impact of the Seven Years/French and Indian war in North America.
All of the conflicts above ocurreed in essentially the "same" strategic environment, which is the point; absent the Atlantic world, they are not going to happen -with it, they will.
Best,