<P> French aid proved vital in the victory of the Americans seeking independence from Britain . The United States gained much territory at the 1783 Treaty of Paris, but France made only limited gains, returning most of its wartime conquests, but it got its revenge by bringing the First British Empire to an end . However the high debt France accumulated was a major cause of the French Revolution in 1789 . </P> <P> After its defeat in the Seven Years' War in 1763, France lost its vast holdings in North America and wanted revenge . Meanwhile, the American colonists and the British government began to fight over whether Parliament in London, or the colonial assemblies had primary responsibility for taxation . The ideological conflict escalated into open warfare in 1775, at which point the American patriots took control of each of the 13 colonies away from Royal officials . The British refused to consider independence . The French, which had been rebuilding their Navy and other forces, now saw an opportunity to seriously weaken its perennial enemy . </P> <P> France bitterly resented its loss on the Seven Years' War and sought revenge; it also wanted to keep Britain from becoming too powerful . The opportunity was now at hand . Following the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was well received in France, by both the general population and the aristocracy . The Revolution was perceived as the incarnation of the Enlightenment Spirit against the "English tyranny ." Benjamin Franklin, dispatched to France in December 1776 to rally its support, was welcomed with great enthusiasm . The French had become interested in the American Revolution from the outset . They saw the revolution as an opportunity to strip Britain of their North American possessions in retaliation for France's loss of Canada a decade before . At first, French support was covert; French agents sent the Patriots military aid (predominantly gunpowder) through a company called Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie, beginning in the spring of 1776 . Estimates place the percentage of French supplied arms to the Americans in the Saratoga campaign up to 90% . By 1777, over five million livres of aid had been sent to the American rebels . </P> <P> Motivated by the prospect of glory in battle or animated by the sincere ideals of liberty and republicanism, volunteers joined the American army such as Pierre Charles L'Enfant . The most famous was Lafayette, a charming young aristocrat who defied the king's order and enlisted in 1777 at age 20 . He became an aide to Washington and a combat general . More importantly he solidified a favourable American view of France . Kramer argues that Lafayette provided a legitimacy for the war and confidence that there was serious European support for independence . Lafayette's personal style was highly attractive; the young man learned quickly, adapted to the Patriot style, avoided politics, and became a fast friend of General Washington . Fifty years later, after a major career in French politics, he returned as a beloved hero of the war . </P>

Who was sent to france at the beginning of the american revolution to ask for help