For America250, which 1778 agreement formally created the U.S. alliance with France?

For America250, the Treaty of Alliance formally created the American alliance with France in 1778. The agreement was signed in Paris on February 6 by representatives of the United States and France.

The treaty followed the American victory at Saratoga, which convinced France that the rebellion had a realistic chance of succeeding. France agreed to support the United States militarily and recognized American independence in its diplomatic dealings.

The alliance had important conditions. Neither France nor the United States was supposed to make a separate peace with Britain, and the two countries agreed to continue the war until American independence was secured. French troops, naval forces, money, and supplies later played a major role in the conflict.

The treaty was not the same as the Treaty of Amity and Commerce, signed on the same day, or the Treaty of Paris, which ended the war in 1783. Together, the agreements marked a major transformation of the Revolution into an international conflict.