# data[].attributes.body
King Louis XVI was the King of France during the American Revolution. He at first hesitated to join the war but when Americans looked like it was going to win they joined in hopes of weaken the British and keeping their colonies in the West Indies safe."

“Louis, however, convinced by Vergennes that Anglo-American reconciliation might threaten its valuable West Indies colonies, decided to assist the Americans minimally.”

“His goals were to exhaust the English and to keep the Americans involved in their differences with England, providing a small amount of aid that would keep them engaged in the conflict without developing American resentment toward the French.”

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
LOUIS XVI IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Louis XVI came to the French throne in 1774 at age nineteen with a determination to reestablish France's position as the premier monarchy of Europe; regain the monarch's authority as "most Christian majesty"; and overcome France's disastrous losses to England in the Seven Years' War, albeit with a hesitation to undertake outright warfare. Turgot, his comptroller-general of finances from 1774 to 1776, was initially a restraining influence on the more aggressive plans of foreign minister Vergennes. Louis, however, convinced by Vergennes that Anglo-American reconciliation might threaten its valuable West Indies colonies, decided to assist the Americans minimally. His goals were to exhaust the English and to keep the Americans involved in their differences with England, providing a small amount of aid that would keep them engaged in the conflict without developing American resentment toward the French.

Louis hesitated to commit to formal alliance and American independence until news of Germantown and Saratoga in 1777 led him to fear Anglo-America rapprochement. The alliance treaties followed quickly in March 1778, and with them openly declared conflict. Congress responded by proclaiming Louis "defender of the rights of mankind." Louis's support of the Americans was part of a larger strategic policy in which France sought to determine the balance of power partly by becoming a commercial and diplomatic patron of weaker monarchies and republics, including the United States, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and some independent German states. The resulting financial burdens were compounded by the global extent of the war from 1778 to 1783 and the refinance of France's existing debt. Unable to reform France's financial system, Louis begrudgingly accepted a series of political reforms in the 1780s that put him between irreconcilable domestic forces. Yet without Louis's assistance-first through secret aid like that funneled through Hortalez & Cie, and later through open aid under the French alliance-it is doubtful the Americans could have won.

SEE ALSO French Alliance; Hortalez & Cie; Vergennes, Charles Gravier, Comte de.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Crout, Robert Rhodes. "In Search of a 'Just and Lasting Peace': The Treaty of 1783, Louis XVI, Vergennes, and the Regeneration of the Realm." International History Review 5 (1983): 364-398.

Dull, Jonathan R. A Diplomatic History of the American Revolution. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1985.

Murphy, Orville T. "The Battle of Germantown and the Franco-American Alliance of 1778." Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 82 (1958): 55-64.

―――――――. Charles Gravier, Comte de Vergennes: French Diplomacy in the Age of Revolution: 1719-1787. Albany: State University of New York Press, 1982.

revised by Robert Rhodes Crout

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
louis xvi in the american revolutionlouis xvi in the american revolution.   louis xvi came to the french throne in 1774 at age nineteen with a determination to reestablish france's position as the premier monarchy of europe; regain the monarch's authority as "most christian majesty"; and overcome france's d

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Louis XVI in the American RevolutionLOUIS XVI IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. Louis XVI came to the French throne in 1774 at age nineteen with a determination to reestablish France's position as the premier monarchy of Europe; regain the monarch's authority as "most Christian majesty"; and overcome France's d Source for information on Louis XVI in the American Revolution: Encyclopedia of the American Revolution: Library of Military History dictionary.

# data[].attributes.body
In the book “Forge” Curzon is a runaway slave who decided to join the army at the age of 15.He plays part in a battle by becoming a soldier and trying to shoot British soldiers with his musket.He was kinda forced to join by his friend but decided to join because of the promise of food,clothes, and money.He wanted to hide his past of being a slave so no one would find out he ran away.

”What’s your name, lad?”Um…..”I stammered.I needed a name with no connection to me or my father or the family that had owned us.”His name is Curzon.”Eban said.

”Your regular pay will be twenty shillings a month

"Forge" by Laurie Halse Anderson

# data[].attributes.body
Sophia worked as a housewife in the British headquarters and spied on British soldiers, eventually finding out that Benedict Arnold was going to hand over West Point to the British. So she took action and prevented West Point from being taken over.

# data[].attributes.body
Crispus Attucks was a slave who succeeded in escaping from his slave master. Later he during the Boston Massacre he was at the front fighting the British and was supposedly the first shot.

“Attucks was one of those at the front of the fight amid dozens of people, and when the British opened fire he was the first of five men killed.”

"His murder made him the first casualty of the American Revolution."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Who Was Crispus Attucks?

Crispus Attucks' father was likely an enslaved person and his mother a Natick Indian. All that is definitely known about Attucks is that he was the first to fall during the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. In 1888, the Crispus Attucks monument was unveiled in Boston Common.

Early Life

Born into slavery around 1723, Attucks was believed to be the son of Prince Yonger, a enslaved person shipped to America from Africa, and Nancy Attucks, a Natick Indian. Little is known about Attucks' life or his family, who reputedly resided in a town just outside of Boston.

What has been pieced together paints a picture of a young man who showed an early skill for buying and trading goods. He seemed unafraid of the consequences of escaping the bonds of slavery. Historians have theorized that Attucks was the focus of an advertisement in a 1750 edition of the Boston Gazette in which a white landowner offered to pay 10 pounds for the return of a young runaway enslaved person.

"Ran away from his Master, William Brown of Framingham, on the 30th of Sept. last, a Molatto Fellow, about 27 Year of age, named Crispas, 6 Feet two Inches high, short curl'd Hair...," the advertisement read.

Attucks, however, managed to escape for good, spending the next two decades on trading ships and whaling vessels coming in and out of Boston. He also found work as a rope maker.

Crispus Attucks and the Boston Massacre

As British control over the colonies tightened, tensions escalated between the colonists and British soldiers. Attucks was one of those directly affected by the worsening situation. Seamen like Attucks constantly lived with the threat they could be forced into the British navy, while back on land, British soldiers regularly took part-time work away from colonists.

On March 2, 1770, a fight erupted between a group of Boston rope makers and three British soldiers. The conflict was ratcheted up three nights later when a British soldier looking for work reportedly entered a Boston pub, only to be greeted by furious sailors, one of whom was Attucks.

The details regarding what followed are a source of debate, but that evening, a group of Bostonians approached a guard in front of the customs house and started taunting him. The situation quickly escalated. When a contingent of British redcoats came to the defense of their fellow soldier, more angry Bostonians joined the fracas, throwing snowballs and other items at the troops.

Death

Attucks was one of those at the front of the fight amid dozens of people, and when the British opened fire he was the first of five men killed. His murder made him the first casualty of the American Revolution.

Quickly becoming known as the Boston Massacre, the episode further propelled the colonies toward war with the British.

Trial After the Boston Massacre

The flames were fanned even more when the eight soldiers involved in the incident and their captain Thomas Preston, who was tried separately from his men, were acquitted on the grounds of self-defense. John Adams, who went on to become the second U.S. president, defended the soldiers in court. During the trial, Adams labeled the colonists as an unruly mob that forced his clients to open fire.

Adams charged that Attucks helped lead the attack, however, debate has raged over how involved he actually was in the fight. Future Founding Father Samuel Adams claimed Attucks was simply "leaning on a stick" when the gunshots erupted.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Crispus Attucks' father was likely an enslaved person and his mother a Natick Indian. All that is definitely known about Attucks is that he was the first to fall during the Boston Massacre on March 5, 1770. In 1888, the Crispus Attucks monument was unveiled in Boston Common.

# data[].attributes.body
Grimaldi was the Spain’s minister during the American Revolution. He helped by giving the French and the Colonists money and equipment for the war in return for land and to weaken the British.

“Grimaldi and Floridablanca provided enough equipment and money to the weaker American side to keep the war going.”

“Grimaldi delivered one million French livres, along with instructions to use the money to arm the American rebels, to Beaumarchais.”

# data[].attributes.body
In 1781, Deborah Sampson Gannett dressed as a male during the American Revolution so that she could become a soldier and fight for her country.In Middleborough she entered herself to join the army under the name Timothy Thayer but her identity was discovered. She walked from Middleborough to New Bedford and entered herself again but as Robert Shurtliff.She got shot in the leg in war and the doctor discovered her gender.

"In 1782, as the Revolutionary War raged on, the patriotic Sampson disguised herself as a man named Robert Shurtleff and joined the Fourth Massachusetts Regiment."

"She led a raid on a Tory home that resulted in the capture of 15 men."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
MLA - Michals, Debra. " Deborah Sampson." National Women's History Museum. National Women's History Museum, 2015. Date accessed.

Chicago - Michals, Debra. "Deborah Sampson." National Women's History Museum. 2015. www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/deborah-sampson.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Deborah Sampson disguised herself as a man and joined the Patriot forces during the American Revolution. She was the only woman to earn a military pension for participation in the Revolutionary army.

# data[].attributes.body
Nathaniel was a slave who got rescued and is now working as a carriage maker. But he joined the infantry when his master did too and fought in the war as a drummer boy.

# data[].attributes.body
Chief Black Hoof fought against whites in almost every war, from the French and Indian war in 1756, to the battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.In 1795 he signed the First Treaty of Greenville and became a supporter of the American government  after meeting Thomas Jefferson in 1802.

"Allied with the French, Black Hoof was present at the defeat of Edward Braddock during the French and Indian War."

"He did fight at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and represented the Shawnee at the signing of the Treaty of Greenville."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Catahecassa, also know by his Anglo-American name, "Black Hoof", was a Shawnee chief. Little is known about his early years. Some historians believe he was born in 1717, but this seems unlikely considering that he lived until 1831. His birth probably occurred in the northwestern part of modern-day Ohio. Allied with the French, Black Hoof was present at the defeat of Edward Braddock during the French and Indian War. Although it is not confirmed, many historians believe that he took part in St. Clair 's Defeat and Harmar's Defeat during the 1790s. He did fight at the Battle of Fallen Timbers and represented the Shawnee at the signing of the Treaty of Greenville.

Following the Treaty of Greenville, Catahecassa became convinced that American Indians had no hope against Anglo-American incursions except to adopt their customs. Using his influence with the Shawnee, Catahecassa encouraged the Shawnee to adopt the whites' way of living. By 1808, his followers established farms at Wapakoneta. A member of the Society of Friends visiting Wapakoneta reported that Shawnee were farming over two hundred acres of land. There were several head of cattle and hogs, and other improvements included the construction of a sawmill and a grist mill.

Catahecassa supported peace with the Americans and encouraged the Shawnee to do the same. However, conflicts between the Shawnee and the Americans continued. Catahecassa proved to be a major problem for Tecumseh and the Prophet as they tried to unite the American Indians of the Ohio Country against the white settlers during the early 1800s. In 1826, Catahecassa organized the Shawnee at an emigration camp set up at Wapakoneta. Several hundred Shawnee left for the Kansas territory. The migration took nearly eighteen months and was a difficult journey.

After leading his followers to Kansas, Black Hoof returned to Wapakoneta. He died there in 1831.

References

Hurt, R. Douglas. The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720-1830. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1996.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Catahecassa, also know by his Anglo-American name, "Black Hoof", was a Shawnee chief. Little is known about his early years. Some historians believe he was born in 1717, but this seems unlikely considering that he lived until 1831. His birth probably occurred in the northwestern part of modern-day Ohio.

# data[].attributes.body
Captain Thomas Preston heard that 2 of his troops were attacked by colonists and the plan was for them to capture a soldier who was guarding a sentry post and kill him.A soldier was hit with a stick and someone yelled fire, so he fired.This caused the Boston Massacre and Captain Thomas Preston claims it was not him who gave the order to fire.

"some persons at the time from behind calling out . . . why don’t you
fre. Instantly three or four of the soldiers fred, one afer another"

"While I was thus speaking,
one of the soldiers having received a severe blow with a stick, stepped a little on one side and instantly fired"

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Get access to files anywhere through secure cloud storage and file backup for your photos, videos, files and more with Google Drive.