Quote Originally Posted by greynotsoold View Post
France had been quietly supporting the American cause since the start, and sent troops and a fleet in 1780. Of course they were also fighting the British elsewhere around the world.
It actually took a lot of time to get the French going. They were in a tight spot. They thought it would be a good opportunity to beat the Brits but America's point was denial of the Kings sovereignty which flew in the face of everything at the time. If it were not for Ben Franklin the French may never have backed us. Of course the American Revolution was the spark for the French Revolution not long after. Nowhere in my readings on the Revolution is it mentioned we ever considered surrender to the Brits. There was a large population of Torries, or people who wanted to remain loyal to the Crown including Ben Franklin's son. The Brits realized in was futile. In the cannons of European warfare at the time England had won. They took over most of the major cities including Philadelphia, the seat of power at the time. Perhaps if the Brits had B-52's back then they could have made us submit, short of that it would never have happened. The French officer Lafyette is still celebrated in the US. We have many roads and buildings named after him. All in all, a very interesting time in history.