the British navy, the country's first line of defense.
The participation of France in the American Revolutionary War was the most significant contribution outside the effort of the American colonists themselves. It was a crucial contribution that developed as the result of years of patient diplomatic work. The Americans had from the first intended to bring France into the war against England, for the colonies were relatively weak, Great Britain was powerful, and the colonists knew they needed assistance. Benjamin Franklin went to France with orders to seek a commercial treaty only, but it was understood that if France recognized the United Starts as a sovereign nation, this would mean that France and Great Britain would soon be at war. The plan Franklin took to France was known as the Plan of 1776 and had been developed by the Congress, with John Adams taking the lead:
It stated that citizens of France should have the same commercial rights in the United States of America as American citizens, and vice versa. it provided for freedom of the seas and defined neutral rights. It also provided that, if the treaty should lead to war between France and Great Britain, the United States would not aid Great Britain.
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