Existing comment:
Benjamin Franklin:
Benjamin Franklin was America's liaison with overseas allies.
After hostilities erupted in 1775, Franklin won support from France and Spain. They secretly supplied the Continental army with gold, arms, gunpowder, uniforms, and medicine as well as cattle and horses, some from Spain's colonies in America.
Following the stunning American victory at Saratoga, Franklin negotiated a treaty in which France openly declared its support and recognized American independence. Holland, Spain, and France provided troops and warships and challenged Britain worldwide, transforming the war for American independence into a war that Britain could not win. |