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The American Revolution put Ireland on edge. In 1778, after France announced its alliance with the United States, many Irish people feared that the French would invade their country. Tens of thousands of Protestant landholders, lawyers, and craftsmen rallied to form a militia force called the Irish Volunteers to counter the potential threat. No invasion came. The Volunteers quickly became Ireland’s strongest political action group and successfully advocated for greater Irish rights and liberties as part of the British Empire. In the 1790s, a new political movement led by the United Irishmen called for total Irish independence from the British Empire. The United Irishmen dreamed of creating an Irish republic with political equality for all Irishmen, regardless of their religion. The American and French revolutions inspired them. Richard Mansergh St. George opposed the ideas of the United Irishmen and paid for it with his life in February 1798. St. George's death marked the beginning of a bloody year in Ireland. The United Irishmen launched a full-fledged revolt against British rule in May 1798, but their fight was short-lived. The British and loyal Irish forces swiftly crushed the Irish Revolution. In just five months, the fighting left over 30,000 Irish men, women, and children dead, regardless of their loyalties.