France became the United States’ decisive military ally in the American Revolution. French support included money, weapons, troops, naval forces, and diplomatic recognition, all of which strengthened the American war effort.
France formally entered the war in 1778 after the United States and France signed the Treaty of Alliance and the Treaty of Amity and Commerce. French involvement forced Britain to fight a wider global war, stretching its military and naval resources beyond North America.
French troops fought alongside American forces, while the French navy helped prevent British relief at Yorktown in 1781. The French victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake was especially important because it blocked British naval support for General Charles Cornwallis.
The alliance was costly for France and contributed to the government’s financial crisis. France’s military and financial intervention helped secure American independence, but the resulting debt became one factor in the political tensions that led to the French Revolution in 1789.