The American Revolution was a political uprising between the colonies' demands for independence and their colonial master, Great Britain. It is frequently understated how important a part the French and Spanish played in the Revolution. The two forces joined the revolt as a result of Britain annexing their territories during the "Seven Years' War." France in particular was therefore keen to revenge against the British for the loss of the territories. At early stages of the revolution, France covertly aided the Colonial army by supplying it with money, ammunitions, tents as well as uniforms. France was later to join the United States Formally in its war after patriot victory at the Battle of Saratoga by signing the Treaty of Alliance (Kennedy, 2017). France also played a critical role in bringing in Spain in the revolutionary war with the signing of the Treaty of Aranjuez, which committed Spain to the course against Britain. The involvement of these two forces in the revolution had some impacts in their sugar Colonies in the Americas.
Implications for the French and Spanish on Sugar Colonies
During the war, France was under the rule of Bourbon King Louis XVI while King Carlos III was in charge of Spain. The two Powers had seen their American Possessions, particularly their sugar colonies reduced by the 1763 Treaty of Paris that had brought to the end the Seven Years War. Under the Treaty, France had lost all its territories in Mainland North America that had consequently ended any foreign military threat against the colonies controlled by the British. The war had seen the British forces gaining edge over France in Overseas colonies including Canada, India and Caribbean. This pushed the French Leaders King Louis XV to issue a formal call for peace talk, which was accepted by the British government. The initial attempt however did not bear fruits and France consequently teamed up with Spain by signing the Family Compact, bringing the latter into the war against the Britons. Formal negotiations later began and all the parties signed the Treaty (Dull, 2015).
France and Spain were not happy for losing their sugar colonies in America and therefore when American colonies revolted against the Britain, the two Powers undertook to help the colonies. Their main aim was not to help the colonies in gaining independence but to inflict pain on Britain as a revenge against their earlier loss. They were also intended at recovering the lost territories. The signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783 signified the end of the revolution war. The positive impact of the war on the French and Spanish is that they regained some their Sugar colonies in Americas. France for instance regained Tobago and Saint Lucia while Spain regained Florida and Minorca. However, France involvement into the war came at a huge financial cost with billions set aside by their government to fund the war. It is estimated the sum spent was double the normal annual income of the country. Consequently, France was left in bad shape in terms of finances, which led to political instability (Washington & Army, 2014). The instability was a leading cause of the French Revolution that came in 1789. France and Spain however took refuge in the fact that their prestige and pride had been restored.
Conclusion
The France and Spain played a major role in the American Revolution, and this had an implication on their sugar colonies in America. The two countries were able to recover some of their territories that had been taken from them by the Britain during the “Seven years of war”. They were also able restore their pride and prestige. However, this came at a great financial cost.
References
Kennedy, P. (2017). The rise and fall of British naval mastery. Penguin UK.
Dull, J. R. (2015). The French navy and American independence: A study of arms and diplomacy, 1774-1787. Princeton University Press.
Washington, G., & Army, C. (2014). The American Revolution: 1775-1783. Vol. II. Boston: Little, Brown.
