1775-September-01: Caron de Beaumarchais began a persistent campaign to urge French Foreign Minister Vergennes to provide aid to the rebelling American colon…

1775-September-01: Caron de Beaumarchais began a persistent campaign to urge French Foreign Minister Vergennes to provide aid to the rebelling American colonies. He argued that if France failed to support the Americans, a reconciliation between the colonies and Great Britain would inevitably follow. Beaumarchais warned that such a reconciliation would likely be sealed by a joint Anglo-American attack on the French West Indies. He believed that the only way to safeguard Saint-Domingue was to keep Great Britain occupied with a prolonged colonial war. This logic suggests that French support for the United States was motivated as much by the protection of its slave colonies as by a desire for liberty.