Lord Neville Introduces a “Conciliatory Bill” into Parliament: November 7, 1777

This text comes from our book, Lands of Hope and Promise.

Of all Europeans, it was the French people who most warmly supported the American Revolution. This at first might seem strange, for France was a highly centralized monarchy—just the kind of government that it seems would most oppose revolution. Yet, it had been only 14 years since the Treaty of Paris gave all of Canada to Great Britain, and many of the French and their king wanted to see their ancient enemy, England, humbled. French intellectuals, and many aristocrats, too, were ardent republicans who looked to America as an experiment in political freedom. Indeed, one French aristocrat, the Marquis de Lafayette, was so committed to the cause of liberty that in 1777 he outfitted a ship and sailed to America. Congress commissioned him a major general in the Continental Army.

Congress, however, had wanted more from France than an occasional soldier; it longed for a military alliance. So it was that Congress sent Benjamin Franklin as its ambassador to the court of Louis XVI. Franklin was popular in Paris. His scientific experiments made him welcome among the intellectuals and earned him a membership in the French Academy of Sciences. His republican manners and the fact that he was a Freemason won him regard in some of the highest circles of French society.

Bust of Lafayette in the Virginia state capitol, Richmond, Virginia

But despite Franklin’s charm, and her own itch for revenge, France was reluctant to acknowledge American independence openly—though she sent cargoes of clothing and munitions to Congress and allowed American privateers and naval ships to use French ports. The situation changed, however, with Burgoyne’s defeat. The French government worried that the military defeat might move the British government to seek peace with America. Such fears were not baseless; on November 7, 1777, Lord Neville introduced a “conciliatory bill” into Parliament that basically granted the Americans everything the First Continental Congress had asked for in 1774. But, fortunately for the French, members of Parliament did not act on the bill right away. They had to have their Christmas break, and so the vote on Lord Neville’s bill was delayed until the new year.

This delay gave Franklin the time he needed. He knew that, once a treaty with France was signed, the American congress could not turn from independence, no matter what Parliament offered. On February 6, 1778, the French government signed two treaties of friendship and commerce with Congress. Under the terms of the treaties, France joined the United States in their bid for independence. France agreed not to claim Canada (which many Americans were eager to annex to the United States), though she would be able to keep her West Indian island possessions; and France and America would grant each other special privileges in trade.

Eleven days later—and 11 days too late—Parliament passed Lord Neville’s conciliatory bill. Then, in the spring, Parliament sent a royal commission to New York to negotiate an armistice with Congress. The commissioners were empowered to give in to all American demands, except independence. Congress, however, would not meet with the commissioners unless they first acknowledged American independence. By the end of the year, the commissioners returned empty-handed to England.

The news of the American alliance with France brought other changes: Parliament replaced General Howe with Sir Henry Clinton on May 8, 1778 and ordered the new commander-in-chief to evacuate Philadelphia and concentrate his forces on New York. As Clinton moved across New Jersey, Washington followed, hoping for an opportunity to engage the British in battle. This opportunity came on June 28, 1778, at Monmouth County Courthouse. It was another American defeat. Clinton marched safely into New York, and Washington placed his troops in a half-circle to the north of the city. There he would await the French.