France–United States relations
The Kingdom of France was the first friendly country of the new United States in 1778. The 1778 Treaty of Alliance between the two countries and the subsequent aid provided from France proved decisive in the American victory over Britain in the American Revolutionary War. France, however, was left heavily indebted after the war, which contributed to France's own revolution and eventual transition to a republic.
The Statue of Liberty is a gift from the French people to the American people in memory of the United States Declaration of Independence.
The Marquis de Lafayette visiting George Washington in 1777 during the American Revolutionary War.
The Battle of the Chesapeake where the French Navy defeated the Royal Navy in 1781
Surrender of Lord Cornwallis depicting the English surrendering to French (left) and American (right) troops.
The Quasi-War was an undeclared naval war fought from 1798 to 1800 between the United States and the French First Republic, primarily in the Caribbean and off the East Coast of the United States.
Left: USS Constellation vs L'Insurgente; right: U.S. Marines from USS Constitution boarding and capturing French privateer Sandwich
Image: USS Constellation Vs Insurgente
Benjamin Stoddert, United States Secretary of the Navy
A 20th-century illustration depicting United States Marines escorting French prisoners
