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Origins -

The US celebrates National French-American Heritage Month every July, an initiative spearheaded by Alliance Française to honor the significant contributions made to the country by people of French descent.

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A significant population -

Approximately 11.8 million Americans of French or French Canadian descent currently live and work in the US, with about two million of those reportedly speaking French at home, according to census data from 2010. The number only increased when additional French-American citizens were added from the large Creole community, whose language is based on French.

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Support during the American Revolutionary War -

France was the first friendly country to the US. France supported the Americans during the Revolutionary War from 1775-1783. The young French King Louis XVI was keen to use the conflict to weaken the British Empire and thus helped Americans defeat the British at Yorktown.

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The early union of 1778 -

On February 6, 1778, Benjamin Franklin and the French representative to the US signed the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance in Paris, France, the former of which recognized the US as an independent nation and promoted trade between France and the United States.

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Architecture and urban planning -

The French architect and urban planner Pierre Charles L’Enfant designed Washington, D.C., the US capital city, in 1791. D.C. is still full of Parisian elements and is equally rich in history, horticulture, and haute cuisine. L'Enfant also inspired the street plan for Detroit, Michigan.

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Louisiana’s French legacy - France’s ruler Napoleon gave up the idea of establishing a North American empire and sold the entire state of Louisiana—including the city of New Orleans—to US President Thomas Jefferson in 1803. To this day, the city still has a thriving French quarter that features classic French architecture and restaurants named after French figures.

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Fashion -

Imported French attire, particularly things like gloves and lace, gained popularity in the early 19th century. Around 1850, the French custom of wearing beards swept across the US, and the Huguenots—French Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries persecuted by the French Catholic government—soon introduced several skilled crafts like new weaving techniques, leather dressing, lace making, and felt manufacture, reports Americans All.

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An iconic gift -

In 1881, the French gifted the Statue of Liberty to US ambassador Levi Parsons Morton to commemorate the two countries’ alliance during the American Revolution. The Statue arrived in New York Harbor in 1885, and was mounted the following year to much fanfare.

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Returning the favor -

In 1917, the US sent troops to defend foreign soil for the first time ever, and it’s no surprise that the American Expeditionary Force was first deployed for France.

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Culture influence was significant -

The rapid immigration of French people in the US shared elements of French culture and rules of etiquette, and, more importantly, French art, literature, fashion, and cuisine. Writers like Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, philosophers like Simone de Beauvoir—who became a key figure for American feminists—and artists like Claude Monet and Pierre-Auguste Renoir introduced the US to things such as French Impressionism and romantic literature, inspiring many American creatives.

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Cuisine -

French chefs and restaurants in the US helped spread the influence of French cuisine, and introduced lasting beloved foods from simple baked breads and pastries to the charcuterie craze and “haute cuisine.” They also brought technical farming skills that vastly improved US wines.

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Why French people apparently love moving to the US -

Many French citizens are drawn to the US for the climate, so it’s no surprise that California reportedly has the most significant French population, followed by Louisiana, while Maine has the highest percentage (25%) of French inhabitants.

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The language evolution -

Roughly 2.1 million Americans over the age of five reported speaking the language at home in a federal 2010 estimate in the US Census Bureau, which includes all French dialects and French-derived Creoles. Several varieties of French evolved in the US. For example, Louisiana French is spoken by descendants of colonists in French Louisiana; New England French is spoken by descendants of 19th and 20th-century Canadian migrants; Missouri French is spoken by descendants of French settlers in the Illinois Country; and Métis French is spoken among the indigenous Métis Nation of North Dakota.

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Celebrities of French descent -

When it comes to the famous, some have French-American parents or grandparents, some have French-Canadian ancestry and were raised in the US, and some are first-generation French-Americans.

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Angelina Jolie -

On her father's side, Jolie is of German and Slovak descent, while her mother, Marcheline Bertrand, was of French-Canadian ancestry. Surely Jolie got to practice a bit through Château Miraval, which she bought with ex Brad Pitt.

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Zooey Deschanel -

The ‘New Girl’ actress is the daughter of Academy Award–nominated cinematographer and director Caleb Deschanel, whose father was French, from Oullins, Rhône. Her other roots reportedly include English, German, Scottish, Irish, and Dutch.

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Chloë Sevigny -

Though she was raised in Connecticut and her mother is Polish-American, Sevigny’s father was of French-Canadian heritage.

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Patricia Arquette -

Patricia Arquette's mother was Jewish, with ancestors having emigrated from Poland and Russia, but her father was of French-Canadian descent, along with Swiss-German and English. The Arquette family's surname was originally "Arcouet."

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Timothée Chalamet -

The actor has given numerous interviews in French, not to mention his name being quite the giveaway. His father, Marc Chalamet, is from Nîmes, in the South of France.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus -

The ‘Seinfeld’ actress was born in New York City to French billionaire father Gérard Louis-Dreyfus, who served as chairman of the Louis Dreyfus Company.

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Willem Dafoe -

The cult-favorite actor’s father is reportedly of French descent, though Dafoe is also of English, German, Irish, and Scottish descent.

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Shia LaBeouf -

The actor’s mother comes from an Ashkenazi Jewish family, while his father is of French Cajun ancestry, according to IMDb. LaBeouf is actually the French word for "beef,” and was a relatively common surname when the French came to Louisiana.

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Anne Hathaway -

While her mother is of Irish descent, Anne Hathaway’s father reportedly has French, Irish, English, and German ancestry.

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Matt LeBlanc -

The beloved ‘Friends’ actor’s father is of French-Canadian descent, and his mother is of Italian ancestry, which seems more apparent in Joey, who famously struggles to learn French with Phoebe.

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Madonna -

Madonna Louise Ciccone’s father was the child of Italian immigrants, but her mother Madonna Louise Fortin came from a long line of French Canadians who only emigrated to the US in the 1880s, reports The French-Canadian Genealogist.

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Lady Gaga -

The singer is of three quarters Italian descent, though her maternal grandfather was of French-Canadian descent. Perhaps that’s where her fascination and frequent use of French in her music comes from.

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Josh Duhamel -

The actor is part French Canadian, but also has Irish, English, Austrian, German and Norwegian ancestry. His surname means “from the hamlet” in French.

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Justin Theroux -

The actor’s father is of French-Canadian and Italian descent, and his mother has English and German ancestry. His uncle, author Paul Theroux, has previously made fun of him for mispronouncing their French last name!

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Lily Rose-Depp -

The star of ‘The Idol’ was born to Johnny Depp and French star Vanessa Paradis. Lily Rose-Depp herself was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.

Sources: (Americans All) (Census Bureau) (IMDb) (The French-Canadian Genealogist)

See also: Things that are considered normal in the US but are weird in the rest of the world

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