Which 1777 American Revolutionary War battle series helped secure French support for the American cause?

The Battles of Saratoga helped secure French support for the American cause during the Revolutionary War.

Fought near Saratoga in New York on September 19 and October 7, 1777, the battles pitted the American Continental Army against British forces led by General John Burgoyne. The second engagement, commonly called the Battle of Bemis Heights, ended in a decisive American victory.

Burgoyne surrendered his army on October 17, 1777. The victory showed France that the American rebels could defeat a major British force, encouraging the Franco-American alliance formalized by treaties in 1778. French military, financial, and naval assistance later became crucial to the American war effort.

The Battles of Saratoga are sometimes confused with the broader Saratoga campaign, which included other operations in the region, including the Battle of Bennington. Saratoga was not the final major American victory; that distinction is generally associated with Yorktown in 1781. Its importance was that it changed international support for the American Revolution.