Which of the following encouraged france to ease the hardships endured by the continental army?
a)british defeats on long island and at fort leeb)british victories in the battles of trenton and saratogac)colonial defeats on long island and at fort leed)colonial victories in the battles of trenton and saratoga

Option D is the right answer, that colonial victories in the battles of Trenton and Saratoga encouraged  France to help ease the hardships endured by the Continental army.

It is only after the victory of the continental army, that France provided aid and signed a legal agreement with the United States. There were two main reasons for the aid from France, first, they( the French) had to claim their sovereignty, and second, they had to prove that they were capable of defending themselves against the British command. However, Vergennes remained Neutral before meeting these two conditions, but He provided secret aids (including military and financial aid) to the U.S as early as 1776. The main motif of the Continental Congress for using the French armed forces ( mainly Navy) was to neutralize the existing British supremacy on land and at sea, whereby defeating the King  George’s forces in America.

april 18, 1775, hundreds of british troops marched from boston to nearby concord in order to seize an arms cache.a confrontation on the lexington town green started off the fighting, and soon the british were hastily retreating under intense fire.

on april 19, 1775, american militia gathered to stop a british company sent from boston to capture supplies allegedly amassed in lexington, massachusetts. the militia fled, and the british left after not finding the supplies.

i think it would be a