On what date was the 1778 Treaty of Alliance between France and the United States signed?

The 1778 Treaty of Alliance between France and the United States was signed on February 6, 1778.

The agreement was concluded in Paris by representatives of King Louis XVI and the Second Continental Congress. It created a defensive alliance during the American Revolutionary War and promised French military support if Britain attacked France because of its relationship with the United States.

The treaty was signed alongside the Treaty of Amity and Commerce. That companion agreement established formal commercial and diplomatic relations and recognized the United States as a sovereign nation. Together, the documents are often called the Franco-American Alliance.

The alliance followed the American victory at Saratoga in 1777, which helped persuade France that the rebellion could succeed. French naval forces, soldiers, loans, weapons, and supplies later contributed to the American victory. The treaty also restricted either ally from making a separate peace with Britain.