由于不满英国夺取法国的殖民地，以及在印度战争中败给英国，所以法国从1775年开始就秘密协助美国殖民地的人民。西元1776年，大陆会议派遣外交官班哲明．富兰克林，以及席拉斯．迪恩 (Silas Deane) 与雅瑟．李 (Arthur Lee) 一同前往法国，寻求与法国达成正式的结盟关系。当富兰克林前往缔约典礼时，为了表示慎重，他穿着和他在1774年出席英国枢密院 (Privy Council) 时相同的那套棕色丝绒套装。在那时候，他因为公布揭露英国刻意压抑殖民地人民的机密文档，而被控偷窃。

 
France had been secretly aiding the American Colonies since 1775, because France was angry at Britain over the loss of Colonial territory in the French and Indian War. In 1776, the Continental Congress sent diplomat Benjamin Franklin, along with Silas Deane and Arthur Lee, to France to secure a formal alliance. When Franklin came to the signing ceremony, he wore, as a symbol, the same brown velvet suit he had worn when he appeared before Britain's Privy Council in 1774. At the time, he was accused of theft for having brought to light British documents that showed the British were purposefully repressing the Colonies.

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