In July 1780 France's Louis XVI had sent to America an expeditionary force of 6,000 men under the Comte Jean de Rochambeau. In addition, the French fleet harassed British shipping and prevented reinforcement and resupply of British...

The surrender of General Burgoynne at Saratoga gave the French the assurance that the Continental Army had a fighting chance to beat the British. Read about early French help and the formal agreements signed between France and America.

On September 2, 1945, Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the independent Democratic Republic of Vietnam in Hanoi?s Ba Dinh square. The first lines of his speech repeated verbatim the famous second paragraph of America?s 1776 Declaration of...

Read about Ivory Coast's recent history, the military coups, violence, and the encouraging agreement that has ushered in a transitional government. You can also find out about its history as a French colony. Information is from the U.S....

Read the interesting history of Mauritius from its colonization by the Dutch in the 17th century to its independence in 1968. Information is from the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes.

A history of Seychelles, a country only recently independent. Read about the steps Seychelles has taken since its independence. Information is from the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes.

Although there is some information about the early history of Gabon, most of the article tells about its history since independence. From the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes.

Find out about Dominica's history from this information from the U.S. Dept. Background Notes. See how the interests of the planter class overrode representational government until Dominica was granted its independence.

General order written by Washington to express pleasure of the Treaty of Alliance with France, ratified in May, 1778.

A biography of the Marquis de Lafayette, the French nobleman who came to the colonies at the age of 20 to volunteer to fight against the British in the American Revolution. This article offers an interesting look into the politics...

This site from Wikipedia provides a biography of the North Vietnamese leader Ho Chi Minh. Focuses primarily on his political life. Ho Chi Minh led the independence movement in North Vietnam.

Follow the trajectory of the Revolutionary War through this synopsis that is broken down into five themes. Read about the Declaration of Independence, the turning points of the war, other countries that supported the war, and how...

The actual treaty that was signed between France the U.S. during the Revolutionary War in which France recognized American independence.

In France, enthusiasm for the American cause was high: the French intellectual world was itself in revolt against feudalism and privilege. However, the Crown lent its support to the colonies for geopolitical rather than ideological...

Overview of the alliance between the French and Americans and the ensuing European conflict during the American Revolutionary War.

Declaration of Independence for Venezuela, July 5, 1811. English and French available on the homepage.

This collection uses primary sources to explore the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

This site has a good description of the differences between the French settlements in New France and the British colonies in America. Read about the rights of the French colonists as opposed to those of the English colonists.

This encyclopedia article is a good overview of the slave revolt that resulted in Haiti's independence.

Brief timeline of Nigerian history in the twentieth century, from the PBS series "Commanding Heights: The Battle for the World Economy." Includes timeline entries related to independence, which was achieved in 1960.

The American Revolution fomented change throughout the trans-Atlantic area. Read about the revolution's influence on the French and their overthrowing of their king, and the slave revolt which brought about the second republic in the New...

An 1857 account written by the famous Mexican revolutionary leader, who overthrew the French puppet emperor Maximilian, about his early life.

Visitors will find a transcript of the text of the Treaty of Paris. The beginning has a long description of the people and countries involved in the Seven Years' War. It goes on to state the terms of the peace treaty for France after...

Find out about the history of Grenada, a small island in the Caribbean. Read about its discovery by Columbus, its passing from French control to British, and its modern history. Information is from the U.S. State Dept. Background Notes.