The Treaty of Paris was signed on September 3, 1783, officially ending the American Revolutionary War.
Representatives of Great Britain and the United States signed the agreement in Paris. Britain recognized the Thirteen Colonies as free, sovereign, and independent states, formally acknowledging the new country’s independence after years of conflict.
The treaty followed the American victory at Yorktown in 1781, but military fighting and diplomatic negotiations continued afterward. The treaty also established broad boundaries, granted American fishing rights, and addressed property and prisoner issues. Its terms were part of a wider Peace of Paris involving other European powers.
The United States Congress ratified the treaty in Annapolis on January 14, 1784. That later ratification date is sometimes confused with the signing date. The 1783 agreement completed the international recognition phase of the founding story celebrated by America250.