<P> France bitterly resented its loss in the Seven Years' War and sought revenge . It also wanted to strategically weaken Britain . Following the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was well received by both the general population and the aristocracy in France . The Revolution was perceived as the incarnation of the Enlightenment Spirit against the "English tyranny ." Benjamin Franklin traveled to France in December 1776 in order to rally the nation's support, and he was welcomed with great enthusiasm . 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 at 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 like Pierre Charles L'Enfant joined the American army . 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 George Washington and a combat general . More importantly, he solidified a favorable 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> <P> Up against the British power, the young nation lacked arms and allies, and so it turned towards France . France was not directly interested in the conflict, but saw it as an opportunity to contest British power by supporting a new British opponent . Through negotiations conducted first by Silas Deane and then by Benjamin Franklin, France began covert support of the American cause . </P> <P> Secretly approached by Louis XVI and France's foreign minister, the comte de Vergennes, Pierre Beaumarchais was authorized to sell gunpowder and ammunition to the Americans for close to a million pounds under the veil of the French company Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie . The aid given by France, much of which passed through the neutral Dutch West Indies port of Sint Eustatius, contributed to George Washington's survival against the British onslaught in 1776 and 1777 . The aid was also a major factor in the defeat of General Burgoyne's expedition in the Champlain corridor that ended in a British disaster at Saratoga . French ports accommodated American ships, including privateers and Continental Navy warships, that acted against British merchant ships . France provided significant economic aid, either as donations or loans, and also offered technical assistance, granting some of its military strategists "vacations" so they could assist American troops . </P>

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