The American Revolution

Part 4, The World At War

One of the greatest American victories of the Revolutionary War occurred not on the battlefield but in the Court of France. Ben Franklin helped the American cause as Ambassador to France, convincing the French to enter the war in February, 1778. While Franklin worked in the opulent court of Louis XVI other Americans were fighting the British and their Native American allies on the rugged frontier.

• Antoine la Voissier
• Baron von Steuben
• Battle of Monmouth
• Ben Franklin
• Col. Guy Johnson
• George Rogers Clark
• Joseph Brandt
• Louis XVI
• Molly Ludwig Hayes
• Sir Henry Clinton
• gueriila war
• victuals

Discussion Questions

1. After the surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga which European nation allied itself with the American cause? Why did this nation choose to fight for American independence?

2. Why was Ben Franklin idolized by the French? What was the American dream for the French?

3. What was Franklin's secret for success as a diplomat? What was Franklin's ultimate goal in France? Do you think that the Continental Army would have succeeded without his efforts?

4. Who was Joseph Plum Martin? How have his diaries helped historians?

5. What was the significance of the Battle of Monmouth? Where did the fighting in the colonies continue after June of 1778?

6. How did the entry of the French to the war change British strategy and aid the American cause?

7. What were the goals of the Americans fighting against British rule?

8. How did battles on the American frontier differ from battles fought closer to the east coast?

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