For America's 250th anniversary, which war ended with the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783?

The American Revolutionary War ended diplomatically with the Treaty of Paris signed in 1783, completing the conflict that created the United States celebrated by America’s 250th anniversary.

The war began after escalating disputes between Great Britain and its North American colonies over taxation, representation, imperial authority, and trade. Fighting broke out at Lexington and Concord in April 1775. The conflict expanded as the thirteen colonies declared independence in 1776.

American forces, supported by France and other foreign assistance, defeated the British at Yorktown in 1781. Major fighting largely stopped after that surrender, but formal peace negotiations continued. The Treaty of Paris, signed on September 3, 1783, recognized American independence and defined the new nation’s western boundary at the Mississippi River.

The war is sometimes confused with the American Revolution as a whole. The Revolution included political, social, and intellectual changes beyond the battlefield, while the Revolutionary War refers specifically to the armed conflict.