The Other FOUNDING FATHERS. Of course, the 4th of July is the Date of the Declaration of Independence. But, the American Revolutionary War, or the American War for Independence, was fought from April 1775 thru September 1783. Also well known, Benjamin Franklin traveled to France to secure military and financial aid. What's not well known, or recognized, is that without the French funding as much as 90% of George Washington's Army, and several French leaders serving in combat, there would be no America, no Independence, no Democracy. (The best known name was U.S. Army Major General Lafayette, who volunteered at age 20. But, Army Lieutenant General Rochambeau served at Washington's side. Others included: Financiers of Arms, Foreign Minister Charles Gravier & Polymath Revolutionary Pierre Beaumarchais, French Navy Vice Admiral François-Joseph de Grasse, and French Navy Vice Admiral Louis-René Levassor, among many others.) We may have saved France in 2 World Wars. But, they helped establish America, in the first place. #HistoryMatters