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"Goodbye Broadway Hello France", Peerless Quartette - Columbia A2333

This week's theme: WWI propaganda songs

A common theme in some U.S. WWI propaganda songs is the idea that we need to 
"repay our debt to France".

As you may recall from school, that the French provided enormous, critical 
aid to us during the American Revolution.

Not only cash and guns but outright armed naval and military support as 
well.

Over a third of Washington's troops at the final, decisive battle of 
Yorktown, were French regulars.

The French navy had driven off the British fleet sent to reinforce 
Cornwallis at Yorktown in the Battle of the Virginia Capes - the largest 
naval battle in the history of the world up to that point.

I always joke that if it wasn't for the French, we'd all be speaking English 
right now :-)

Financial costs of the American Revolutionary War
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Financial_costs_of_the_American_Revolutionary_War
"France ... spent 1.3 billion livres ..."
"The debt caused major economic and political problems for France, and, as 
the country struggled to pay its debts, eventually led to the Financial 
Crisis of 1786 and the French Revolution in 1789."

When General Pershing arrived in France during WWI he famously said 
"Lafayette, we are here." Referring to the French general who helped 
Washington throughout the Revolution.


Stay Jazzed!
--Tom Swezey