France and Spain in the Revolutionary War featuring Dr. Larrie Ferreiro

History Does You

For many Americans, the Revolutionary War was a solo effort against the most powerful country in the world at the time. There is little mention of the role that France and Spain played in helping the United States achieve its Independence and this episode will shed light on their effort. The Revolutionary War was part of a larger global conflict between powerful nations in Europe. Spain and France made a tremendous effort to support the revolution with supplies, money, and expeditionary forces along with the French Navy. We talked with Dr. Louis Ferreiro who is a professor of History and Engineering at George Mason University. His book, "Brothers at Arms: American Independence and the Men of France and Spain Who Saved It" which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in History in 2017 and has done other research in naval history. This reveals that the United States needed a lot of help to achieve Independence that is often overlooked and left out in America history.