Today in 1777 the French foreign minister, Charles Gravier, count of Vergennes, officially acknowledges the United States as an independent nation. News of the Continental Armys overwhelming victory against the British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga gave Benjamin Franklin new leverage in his efforts to rally French support for the American rebels. (history/this-day-in-history/france-formally-recognizes-the-united-states)
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 18:00:01 +0000