American Revolution - Treaty of Alliance (1778)

American Revolution - Treaty of Alliance (1778) The Treaty of Alliance (1778) between the United State and France was signed February 6, 1778. Concluded between the government of King Louis XVI and the Second Continental Congress, the treaty proved critical to the United States winning its independence from Great Britain. Intended as a defensive alliance, it saw France provide both supplies and troops to the Americans while also mounting campaigns against other British colonies. The alliance continued after the American Revolution but effectively ended with the start of the French Revolution in 1789. Relations between the two nations deteriorated in the 1790s and led to the undeclared Quasi-War. This conflict was ended by the Treaty of Mortefontaine in 1800 which also formally terminated the 1778 Treaty of Alliance. Background As the American Revolution progressed, it became obvious to the Continental Congress that foreign aid and alliances would be necessary to achieve victory. In the wake of the Declaration of Independence in July 1776, a template was created for potential commercial treaties with France and Spain. Based on the ideals of free and reciprocal trade, this Model Treaty was approved by Congress on September 17, 1776. The following day, Congress appointed a group of commissioners, led by Benjamin Franklin, and dispatched them to France to negotiate an agreement. It was thought that France would prove a likely ally as it had been seeking revenge for its defeat in the Seven Years War thirteen years earlier. While not initially tasked with requesting direct military assistance, the commission received orders instructing it to seek most favored nation trading status as well as military aid and supplies. Additionally, they were to reassure Spanish officials in Paris that the colonies had no designs on Spanish lands in the Americas.   Treaty of Alliance (1778) Conflict: American Revolution (1775-1783)Nations Involved: United States and FranceSigned: February 6, 1778Ended: September 30, 1800 by the Treaty of MortefontaineEffects: The alliance with France proved critical to the United States winning its independence from Great Britain. FReception in France Pleased with the Declaration of Independence and the recent American victory at the Siege of Boston, the French Foreign Minister, Comte de Vergennes, was initially in support of a full alliance with the rebelling colonies. This quickly cooled following General George Washingtons defeat at Long Island, the loss of New York City, and subsequent losses at White Plains and Fort Washington that summer and fall. Arriving in Paris, Franklin was warmly received by the French aristocracy and became popular in influential social circles. Seen as a representative of republican simplicity and honesty, Franklin worked to bolster the American cause behind the scenes. Benjamin Franklin in Paris. Public Domain Aid to the Americans Franklins arrival was noted by the government of King Louis XVI, but despite the kings interest in assisting the Americans, the countrys financial and diplomatic situations precluded providing outright military aid. An effective diplomat, Franklin was able to work through back channels to open a stream of covert aid from France to America, as well as began recruiting officers, such as the Marquis de Lafayette and Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben. He also succeeded in obtaining critical loans to aid in financing the war effort. Despite French reservations, talks regarding an alliance progressed. The French Convinced Vacillating over an alliance with the Americans, Vergennes spent much of 1777 working to secure an alliance with Spain. In doing so, he eased Spains concerns over American intentions regarding Spanish lands in the Americas. Following the American victory at the Battle of Saratoga in the fall of 1777, and concerned about secret British peace overtures to the Americans, Vergennes and Louis XVI elected to forego waiting for Spanish support and offered Franklin an official military alliance. Surrender of Burgoyne at Saratoga by John Trumbull. Photograph Courtesy of the Architect of the Capitol The Treaty of Alliance (1778) Meeting at the Hotel de Crillon on February 6, 1778, Franklin, along with fellow commissioners Silas Deane and Arthur Lee signed the treaty for the United States while France was represented by Conrad Alexandre Gà ©rard de Rayneval. In addition, the men signed the Franco-American Treaty of Amity and Commerce which was largely based on the Model Treaty. The Treaty of Alliance (1778) was a defensive agreement stating that France would ally with the United States if the former went to war with Britain. In the case of war, the two nations would work together to defeat the common foe. The treaty also set forth land claims for after the conflict and essentially granted the United States all territory conquered in North America while France would retain those lands and islands captured in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico. In regard to ending the conflict, the treaty dictated that neither side would make peace without the consent of the other and that the United States independence would be recognized by Britain. An article was also included stipulating that additional nations may join the alliance in the hope that Spain would enter the war. Effects of the Treaty On March 13, 1778, the French government informed London that they had formally recognized the independence of the United States and had concluded the Treaties of Alliance and Amity and Commerce. Four days later, Britain declared war on France formally activating the alliance. Spain would enter the war in June 1779 after concluding the Treaty of Aranjuez with France. The entry of France into the war proved a key turning point in the conflict. French arms and supplies began to flow across the Atlantic to the Americans. In addition, the threat posed by the French military forced Britain to redeploy forces from North America to defend other parts of the empire including critical economic colonies in the West Indies. As a result, the scope of British action in North America was limited. Though initial Franco-American operations at Newport, RI and Savannah, GA proved unsuccessful, the arrival of a French army in 1780, led by Comte de Rochambeau, would prove key to the wars final campaign. Supported by Rear Admiral Comte de Grasses French fleet which defeated the British at the Battle of the Chesapeake, Washington and Rochambeau moved south from New York in September 1781. Surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown by John Trumbull. Photograph Courtesy of the US Government Cornering the British army of Major General Lord Charles Cornwallis, they defeated him at the Battle of Yorktown in September-October 1781. Cornwallis surrender effectively ended the fighting in North America. During 1782, relations between the allies became strained as the British began pressing for peace. Though largely negotiating independently, the Americans concluded the Treaty of Paris in 1783 which ended the war between Britain and the United States. In accordance with the Treaty of Alliance, this peace agreement was first reviewed and approved by the French. Nullification of the Alliance With the end of the war, people in the United States began to question the duration of the treaty as no end date to the alliance was stipulated. While some, such as Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, believed that the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789 ended the agreement, others, such as Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson, believed that it remained in effect. With the execution of Louis XVI in 1793, most European leaders agreed that treaties with France were null and void. Despite this, Jefferson believed the treaty to be valid and was backed by President Washington. As the Wars of the French Revolution began to consume Europe, Washingtons Proclamation of Neutrality and the subsequent Neutrality Act of 1794 eliminated many of the treatys military provisions. Franco-American relations began a steady decline which was worsened by the 1794 Jay Treaty between the United States and Britain. This began several years of diplomatic incidents which culminated with the undeclared Quasi-War of 1798-1800. USS Constellation (1797) engages LInsurgente during the Quasi-War with France, February 9, 1799. U.S. Naval History Heritage Command Fought largely at sea, it saw numerous clashes between American and French warships and privateers. As part of the conflict, Congress rescinded all treaties with France on July 7, 1798. Two years later,  William Vans Murray, Oliver Ellsworth, and William Richardson Davie were dispatched to France to commence peace talks. These efforts resulted in the Treaty of Mortefontaine (Convention of 1800) on September 30, 1800 which ended the conflict. This agreement officially ended the alliance created by the 1778 treaty.

Vengeful Equity essays

Vengeful Equity essays This paper will address the issues surrounding the criminal incarceration of women in American society through the discussion of the views of Meda Chesney-Lind in her 1997 paper "Vengeful Equity: Sentencing Women to Prison." It will present critical reasons of incarceration dealing with the onset of the "Rockefeller Laws," problems with translation, and results. In the paper I will also present solutions of Chesney-Lind as well as my own opinion for possible options other then common prison sentencing as it is practiced today. The United States in recent times has seen the sudden rise of females in our prison systems. This is most solely due to the introduction of the Rockefeller Laws and its guidelines of mandatory minimum sentencing of criminals for specified crimes. The law was designed to reduce bias in the ever volatile world of race relations and eliminate harsher sentencing for equal crimes based on color. In the female world, consideration of possible mitigating circumstances surrounding an individuals' crime has been taken away from the presiding judge's discretion. Important factors are not allowed to enter in the decision process such as why the crime was committed and by who. While the number of women behind bars has risen as of late, the number of violent offenders in these prisons has actually fallen quite drastically. The proportion of women in state prisons for violent offences declined from 48.9 percent in 1979 to 32.2 percent in 1991 (Chensey-Lind 1997). That would leave the remainder of the near tripling of incarcerated women since the 1980's as nonviolent offenders. Some of these women are imprisoned for property crimes, such as stealing for their drug habit, or often these women have been busted for drug trafficking, often referred to as drug mules (individuals caught moving drugs for someone else). Because of the mandatory minimums, the courts can no longer take into consideration the reasons the of...

Exploring World Religions For Health Care Professionals Assignment - 1

Exploring World Religions For Health Care Professionals - Assignment Example This paper will begin with the statement that almost all of us are associated with some religion or the other, and as for those who aren’t, are referred to as atheists. Religion can simply be explained as a set of value, a belief and cultural system, and various views that connect spirituality and moral values to the existence of humanity. Different religions have different symbolism, teachings, traditional variations, and histories all which have the purpose of making humanity understand the reason for its existence, and why this universe came into creation into the first place. According to very rough research, there are almost four thousand two hundred different types of religion in this world. A question that many people ask is why does religion exist and what its purpose is. One needs to know that two things, belief, and faith are inherently inbuilt in human nature, and they have been so since the beginning of times. Now if we go into a little bit more detail, some of the se beliefs have been properly organized or shaped into teachings, doctrines and properly organized structures which are set up in a hierarchal manner. Like the case is with any kind of organized structure, religion seeks to exist to preserve its existence and therefore all such acts related to it are ultimately focused towards survival and expansion in an exponential manner. It is quite a question to understand why the study of religion is important for humanity. Since the beginning of times, human beings have been in need of guidance. The Muslims were guided on how to lead their lives by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him), who was the last messenger of Allah on Earth and from the Quran, the Holy Book of Muslims which contains guidance and a code of life from Allah. Similarly, the Christians received guidance from Jesus Christ and believe in the teachings of the Bible, as they believe that their God communicated to them through the words of the Bible. All religions serve to guide its people as to how their lives, what to do and what not to and so on regarding almost all major issues of life. If one doesn’t have an understanding of a religion, then he would be doomed and lack knowledge, and pretty much lost as to what to do regarding various circumstances in life (Macmillan, 2004). In simple words, one does need to study religion so he has guidance, so he can distinguish between what’s good and bad for him, and so he knows how to deal with certain things when they come up in life. When we talk of religions, there aren’t many who don’t know about organized religions. Organized religion can simply be understood as a social institution which consists of a particular set of beliefs, rituals, and cultures which are not only arranged in a systematic manner but also established in a proper manner. Organized religions can also be understood as those religions that are known the world over by their name and to which people often associate t hemselves with legally and openly. Some well-known organized religions include Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Jews, and Buddhists. There are some characteristics that are common amongst all these religions. To start off, all of them talk about helping humanity, restricting people from engaging in war and harming others without any due cause. Moreover, all these religions press upon their followers to speak the truth and always take care of scarce resources as they are bound to deplete one day. Differences occur when it comes to religious practices and the hierarchy of leadership and rituals, but other than that, all religions promote peace and love amongst humanity. Most people also get confused between spirituality and religion. These are two very separate things and need to be understood very clearly.