What was the name of the 1778 pact that made France a military ally of the United States?

The Treaty of Alliance was the 1778 pact that made France a military ally of the United States.

The treaty was signed in Paris on February 6, 1778, by American commissioners Benjamin Franklin, Arthur Lee, and Silas Deane, together with Conrad Alexandre Gérard for France. It formed a defensive alliance during the American Revolutionary War and committed the partners to support one another against Britain under specified conditions.

The agreement followed the American victory at Saratoga, which persuaded France that the rebellion had a realistic chance of success. France had already signed the separate Treaty of Amity and Commerce with the United States on the same day. That commercial treaty formally recognized American sovereignty in diplomatic relations, while the Treaty of Alliance addressed military cooperation.

French troops, naval forces, weapons, and financial support later proved crucial, especially during the 1781 Yorktown campaign. The alliance was eventually annulled by the United States in 1798 amid tensions with revolutionary France.