Excerpt from Narrative and Critical History of America, Vol. 7 T is the object of this chapter to describe the attempts made by the United States, during the earlier part of the Revolutionary War, to Obtain recognition and aid from foreign countries, and to raise the money necessary for carrying on the struggle. The diplomatic situation in Europe will also be considered in so far as it affected the war. The final negotiations by which the conditions of peace were arranged, will be found in the succeeding chapter. The second half of the eighteenth century was a time of intellectual and moral revolution. The ideas of men on their relations to each other were undergoing a fundamental Change. The European nations, on the awaken ing of their minds in the fifteenth century, had at first turned principally to the consideration of theological and religious subjects. For two hun dred years these had occupied them, almost to the exclusion of other ideas. But after the middle of the seventeenth century religious quarrels had lost some of their interest. The various parties of the Church had divided Christendom among themselves. The eyes of Europe were no longer directed to the Skies, but turned on the world about. The corruption of the Church was forgotten in the corruption of the State. Men had learned to inquire curiously into their relation to God they were no longer afraid to consider their relations to each other. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.