For America's 250th anniversary, which treaty officially recognized U.S. independence from Great Britain?

The Treaty of Paris of 1783 officially recognized United States independence from Great Britain, providing the diplomatic conclusion to the Revolutionary War before America’s 250th anniversary.

Representatives of Great Britain and the United States signed the treaty in Paris on September 3, 1783. Its first article stated that Britain recognized the United States as free, sovereign, and independent states. The agreement also described boundaries, fishing rights, debts, prisoners, and property claims.

The treaty followed years of fighting and negotiations. American negotiators included Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John Jay, and Henry Laurens. Britain’s formal recognition was more than a battlefield outcome: it established the new country’s status in international law and diplomacy.

This treaty is often confused with the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812 in 1814. It is also distinct from the 1783 peace agreements involving Britain, France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic, collectively called the Peace of Paris.