<P> France bitterly resented its loss on the Seven Years ' War and sought revenge ; it also wanted to keep Britain from becoming too powerful . The opportunity was now at hand . Following the Declaration of Independence , the American Revolution was well received in France , by both the general population and the aristocracy . The Revolution was perceived as the incarnation of the Enlightenment Spirit against the `` English tyranny . '' Benjamin Franklin , dispatched to France in December 1776 to rally its support , was welcomed with great enthusiasm . The French had become interested in the American Revolution from the outset . They saw the revolution as an opportunity to strip Britain of their North American possessions in retaliation for France 's loss of Canada a decade before . At first , French support was covert ; French agents sent the Patriots military aid ( predominantly gunpowder ) through a company called Rodrigue Hortalez et Compagnie , beginning in the spring of 1776 . Estimates place the percentage of French supplied arms to the Americans in the Saratoga campaign up to 90 % . By 1777 , over five million livres of aid had been sent to the American rebels . </P>
who was sent to france at the beginning of the american revolution to ask for help
Benjamin Franklin