France and its relationship to the United States Research Paper

France and its relationship to the United States - Research Paper Example America was later colonized by the British and after a series of rivalry disputes with the French, Britain and the French army engaged in a war that led to the defeat of the French. The French were pushed away from North America and they retaliated by providing the American’s army with weapons to fight for their independence. The two nations have been involved in close ties ever since. Just like any other international relationship, the relationship between France and the United States has been challenged by tension and suspicion. Historically, the United States was the one at the receiving end of the relationship. The benefits that France brought to the United States were vast in the initial period of the international relations. As time passed, the relationship became symbiotic and it has been this way to date. In this paper, I will focus on the history of France and its relationship to the United States. France relationship to the US Since early in the 16th century, the French businessmen were interested in the United States since it was a viable export region for raw materials and food stuff. French explorers in the western hemisphere of North America provided information on the best settling areas for the French people and they formed a colonial empire in this region. The French settlements in the United States were in Detroit, St. Louis, Biloxi, New Orleans, Green Bay, Baton Rouge and Mobile. During the colonial period, the French’s main rival in the region was the Great Britain. The two colonial powers engaged in a series of wars against each other to secure land. In the 18th Century, after the defeat of France by the Great Britain in North America, France opted to form an alliance with the United States freedom fighters. France provided the US army with heavy ammunition to fight against the British colonial army. This marked the beginning of the common interests between the two nations. Together they managed to push Great Britain out of North America. The French later sold Louisiana to the US and this strengthened the US economy (Davidson, 2003). During the seven years war between Britain and France, the French coveted the fertile Canadian land, which was controlled by the British. In helping the US defeat Britain, France was hoping that Britain would be weakened to leave Canada too. After the US gained independence on 4th July 1776, France continued supporting the new nation to grow into an economic giant in the region. During this time, France had already undergone an industrial revolution and it mentored the US to undergo a revolution in industrializing. The two nations became close business partners with the US exporting most of its raw materials to France in exchange for machinery that was needed for industrialization. The two nations’ relations were strengthened when the French gave their US counterparts with the statue of liberty. It symbolized their friendship an d it gave the French a gate pass to freely migrate to the US. The relationship between the two nations has grown over the years and they have become influential on each other’s economy, politics and culture (Lionel, 2004). In the 20th century, the relationship between the two nations maintained its positive growth. The US helped France to defeat the Nazis who were determined to take over the nation. The two nations were in the pioneering group of nations in many international diplomatic unions like the United Nations, WHO and NATO. As the US gained more power and influence in the world, France began to feel threatened and it formed the European