Talk:France in the American Revolutionary War

Translation

This article is a translation of the intro from fr:La France dans la guerre d'indépendance américaine. I did a first run, cleanup as needed. - AKeen 22:33, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

Thanks ^0^y Yug 12:17, 23 October 2005 (UTC)

Good heavens, talk about crappy neutrality.

... What means Crappy ? I'm not a native english speaker. Yug 10:06, 20 April 2006 (UTC)

crappy = merdique, nul  :-)

I did all I can for the translation. However, I am warning you guys now that I am relatively new with French :\ -- 24630 4:15 pm, 3 July 2006

Inappropriate Image

The picture shows the famous "Old Ironsides" Navel duel. This occured in the War of 1812, which makes it a highly inappropriate image for an article about French aid to the US in the US Revolution. ELV

Proposal for deletion , and apology

Britain as official US trade partner? So far as I am aware, the United States does not and has never had "official trade partners." and I am an American. This article is inadequate, and I propose it be deleted. France's participation in the American Revolutionary War was vastly signifigant, but this article doesn't cut it, sorry. --V. Joe 23:10, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

I deleted section on official trade evidence. Please notify me on my talk page if you restore it. --V. Joe 23:13, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

apology

I was hasty in my call for deletions and I remove that request. What you've got so far is a fundamental improvement. Keep up the good work.--V. Joe 07:36, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

Traduttore, tradittore ... (or why this article needs a total copyedit)

My first reaction to this article was that it was horribly vandalised. Then I saw it was translated from the french wikipedia article. Although it has been improved since then, it still needs some editing. I'll be coming here from time to time, but others are welcome to dig in too (:... --Victor falk 00:13, 11 October 2007 (UTC)

La Fayette gains...notoriety?

Under French involvement, paragraph 2.

"The war was benefiting from popular support, La Fayette was gaining notoriety, and the avenging spirit was ready to express itself."

Totally doesn't make sense. Htmlqawsedrftg (talk) 18:05, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Huge French debt

France had a debt of 3,000 billion?

French troops had to be transported over great distances, which cost about 1 billion livres tournois, and further added to France's debt of a little less than 3,315 billion.

Htmlqawsedrftg (talk) 18:43, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

O.O !!!! Not 3000 , but three billions and three hundred fifteen millions. That's a French to English translation mistake (fr: 3,315 billion = 3 billions 315 millions ) ! thanks for your notification.

Yug, former autor of the French article. 07:05, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Restore old Introduction

Extended content

The warfare between Britain and France that began in 1754 with skirmishes in North America has several different names. In America it is known as the French and Indian War (1754-1763). In Europe it is called the Seven Years’ War because the fighting there lasted from 1756 to 1763. The war in North America was fought mostly throughout the Northern colonies, and in the end Great Britain defeated France. During the peace negotiations, Britain acquired French holdings in Canada and Florida from France’s ally, Spain. However, Britain also accumulated a large debt over the course of the war. To help pay off the debt, Britain turned to the colonies to generate revenue. The war changed the relationship between Great Britain and the colonies. Prior to the war, Great Britain had practiced a policy of salutary neglect, not insisting on strict enforcement of laws, such as the Molasses Act, which in 1733 imposed a tax on molasses, because trade with the American colonies was making Britain very wealthy and powerful. During this period, the colonists developed a nearly independent political and economic system. After the war, however, British leaders reevaluated their relationship with the colonies, ending the policy of salutary neglect and proposing reforms and new taxes. This reevaluation was caused by conflicts between Great Britain and the colonies during the war, such as the colonial assemblies’ insistence on controlling the militia units raised to fight the French, the increased colonial independence, and colonial smuggling of French goods into the country during the war. In addition, the war had left Great Britain deeply in debt. British leaders viewed American prosperity as a resource and taxing the colonies as a means to relieve British debt. Conflicts arose as Great Britain attempted to reassert its power over the colonies; they viewed Great Britain’s attempts to tax them as interference into internal matters. The colonies believed that Great Britain had jurisdiction only over external issues.

Hide is the introduction as write by user:74.170.56.51, he destroyed the article 3 times, and then put a bad introduction which was not reverted.

So, I corrected (see the change)

Based on the last good introduction available : 30 january 2008, by Valentinejoesmith (Valentinejoesmith)

Yug 07:26, 3 March 2008 (UTC)

Haley

Who is Haley and what purpose does that giant biased paragraph serve? The second one to clarify. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 38.98.97.250 (talk) 15:54, 24 March 2008 (UTC)

Haley don't display any famous historian of French or american history. Also, just "Haley" (without name) virtually means "every Haley on the earth" -> I deleted "Haley argue", and replace it by "Some argue". 220.135.4.212 (talk) 18:18, 15 April 2008 (UTC)

American Reaction to French Involement

The reaction in the colonies to the French entry into the war was not an overwhelmingly positive one, as it left a number of American officers unhappy. Notable amongst them was Benedict Arnold who up to this point had been one of the most fervent supporters of American independence, and the outstanding hero of the cause for his services in Canada and at Saratoga, was apalled by the alliance with France. The reason for this mainly stemmed from his early experiences fighting against the French in the Seven Years War where he saw the French and their Native American Allies commit a number of atrocities.

Combined with this was also a disgust for the French absolute monarchy, which was far less democratic than the constitutional monarch of the United Kingdom. To some this new alliance also seemed to combine with a growing elitism within the Continental Army, as demonstrated by the appointment of untried European aritstocrats such as Lafrayette over more expereinced American officers.

Overall many considered the new alliance a betrayal of the radical foundations on which the new Republic had been established. In Arnold's case this played, along with many other factors, a large part in his descision to defect to the British. Lord Cornwallis (talk) 00:45, 29 May 2008 (UTC)

Please get a source. Codik (talk) 23:14, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

I too have some questions about the present version of this. I looked for a usable source and came up empty-handed. Perhaps we would be better off not commenting on "American Reaction to French Involvement." --Coleacanth (talk) 22:36, 7 July 2009 (UTC)

I removed the following line from the lead: Recognition of France's participation in the Revolution was mainly manifested in the United States' appreciation of French military heroes like the Comte de Rochambeau and the Marquis de Lafayette. --Coleacanth (talk) 22:39, 7 July 2009 (UTC)

This comment seems to be purely subjective more than anything else.

First off, ennemies of my ennemy are my allies. WW2: USA and UK allied with Staline against Hitler. Allying with such high caliber scum as Staline isnt a "betrayal of the radical foundations on which the new Republic " in your mind?

Second. The so democratic monarchy of UK was imposing unfair taxes, hostile acts and chauvinistic laws to protect UK citizens at expense of continentals, all this in the same time refusing any legal representation of continentals. That's for the democratic part.

Third. "Atrocities" Well atrocities had been committed on both parts and atrocities had been commited on american soil and on american people by british. And Georges washington himself had been defeated by french in that french and indian war, didn't look to be so hateful towards France some years later as you seem to pretend.

a present day bias?

Is it me or is this is usual alternating the reality of the french support? "A naval and distant support". I don't think all the money, advisors, ground troops, resources, aside from their navy to combat the most fierce navy in teh world could be considered distant support. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.231.4.140 (talk) 23:21, 13 September 2009 (UTC) this is all wrong dont leason to them :) thankss —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.198.101.215 (talk) 00:05, 30 March 2010 (UTC)

Broken Link

The first link in the English Bibliography does not work. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.36.60.249 (talk) 03:33, 30 December 2010 (UTC)

• Thanks for pointing it out. It has now been removed. Lord Cornwallis (talk) 04:16, 30 December 2010 (UTC)