Happy 250th Birthday, America!
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The French Air Force acrobatic team, Patrouille de France, flew over the Statue of Liberty for the anniversary of America’s independence, July 1st, 2026
Photo by (c) JC AGID
Two hundred and fifty years ago, the United States became an independent nation.
From its very beginning, its story was also the story of a friendship between France and the United States, born across the Atlantic, strengthened by shared ideals, and carried forward by the people of both nations.
That friendship took shape during the American Revolution, through figures such as Benjamin Franklin, Lafayette, Rochambeau, and Louis XVI. Franklin, sent to Paris as America's envoy, won the hearts of French society and laid the diplomatic groundwork for what would follow. Eager for military experience and adventure, the young Lafayette crossed the Atlantic in 1777 to join the American insurgents and soon formed a close bond with George Washington. France's formal alliance with the United States followed in 1778, and French and American forces would ultimately fight side by side for independence.
The relationship found one of its most enduring symbols in the Statue of Liberty. Conceived in 1876 to mark the centennial of American independence and to honor the alliance and the shared ideal of liberty between the two nations, the statue was offered by France and inaugurated in 1886, 140 years ago.
Originally conceived as a celebration of liberty and the Franco-American relationship, its meaning expanded as millions of immigrants passed nearby through Ellis Island. For them, the statue became the first sight of America and a symbol of a new dawn.
A sound-and-light show projected onto the Statue of Liberty, july 1st, 2026.
Photo by (c) JC AGID
Like all relationships, this one has been complex, shaped by difficulties and sacrifices.
During and after the First World War, Anne Morgan and Anne Murray Dike founded the American Committee for Devastated France, known as CARD, in 1917. American volunteers came to devastated northern France, bringing food, medical care, supplies, schools, libraries, and support for reconstruction. Their work in Blérancourt created a lasting bridge between the two countries, built not through diplomacy, but through philanthropy and a deep commitment to rebuilding lives, and a country.
Two decades later, Americans once again crossed the Atlantic, this time to fight alongside the Allies and help liberate Europe from Nazism.
This shared history is not only written in books. It lives in places, objects, works of art, paintings, photographs, letters, uniforms, memories, and personal stories. Each one carries a trace of the long dialogue between the two nations. Each one bears witness to a friendship built through courage, generosity, culture, and mutual admiration.
Dancing beneath the Statue of LibertY, July 1st, 2026.
Photo by (c) JC AGID
Thanks to the vision and legacy of Anne Morgan and Anne Murray Dike, and through the commitment of France and the American Friends of Blérancourt, this memory remains visible and alive. The Franco-American Museum at the Château de Blérancourt, north of Paris, preserves and tells this shared history, reminding us of our responsibility to preserve it, transmit it, and carry it forward.
As the United States celebrates 250 years, we celebrate the birth of a nation, the strength of its ideals, and the enduring Franco-American friendship that has helped shape both sides of the Atlantic.
Happy 250th Anniversary, America.
The American Friends of Blérancourt
Read more about the Franco-American relationship and the American War of Independence:
