American independence would not have been achieved without diplomatic, financial, and military support from Europe. And without recognition from powerful European nations, the young country would never have assumed an independent status "amongst the powers of the earth." This collection of essays not only offers new glimpses into the ways in which various European powers and actors enabled American patriots to fight and win the war, it also highlights the American Revolution's short- and long-term impact on the Atlantic world.
Because of the strength of European support, Great Britain found itself diplomatically isolated, without an ally in a war that had become a global conflict, and with a navy outnumbered by the combined fleets of America's friends. This volume is a timely reminder of the importance of international support for the winning of American independence and the global context of the American Revolution as we approach its 250th anniversary.

Andrew J. O'Shaughnessy is the author of The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire. John A. Ragosta is a historian at the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello and the author of Patrick Henry: Proclaiming a Revolution. Marie-Jeanne Rossignol is Professor of North American Studies at Université Paris Cité and the author of The Nationalist Ferment: The Origins of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1789-1812.