France signed the 1778 Treaty of Alliance with the United States during the Revolutionary War.
The treaty was signed in Paris on February 6, 1778, by representatives of Louis XVI’s France and the Second Continental Congress. It created a defensive alliance and formally brought France into the conflict against Great Britain.
French assistance included troops, weapons, money, naval forces, and military supplies. French intervention became especially important at the 1781 Siege of Yorktown, where French soldiers and warships supported George Washington’s army and helped force the surrender of British forces commanded by Lord Cornwallis.
France’s support was motivated partly by its rivalry with Britain and its desire to recover from losses in the Seven Years’ War. Spain later entered the wider war as a French ally, but it did not sign the 1778 Franco-American treaty.