1778

1778 was a year of the Gregorian calendar notable for a major shift in the American Revolutionary War, as the United States formed a formal alliance with France. On February 6, 1778, France and the United States signed the Treaty of Alliance and the accompanying Treaty of Amity and Commerce, establishing a military and diplomatic partnership that recognized American independence and pledged French aid.

In North America, fighting continued between American and British forces. The Battle of Monmouth Court House occurred on June 28, 1778 in New Jersey, where Washington's Continental Army tested improved discipline and coordination with its French ally, resulting in a costly but strategically inconclusive engagement.

That summer and autumn, French naval and land support arrived in greater force. A joint Franco-American expedition aimed at capturing Newport, Rhode Island, in August 1778, ended without success as British defenses held and adverse weather and logistics hindered the operation, after which the French fleet withdrew.

The French entrance into the war expanded its scale and international dimensions, complicating British military plans and signaling a shift toward a broader, transatlantic conflict. The alliance in 1778 laid groundwork for continued cooperation and influenced later European involvement in the war, contributing to the eventual American achievement of independence.