The Treaty of Paris recognized the United States as independent after the Revolutionary War in 1783.
Representatives of Great Britain and the United States signed the treaty in Paris on September 3, 1783. It formally ended the war and acknowledged the former Thirteen Colonies as free, sovereign, and independent states.
The agreement also established boundaries for the new nation. Britain recognized American territory extending west to the Mississippi River, while the United States received fishing rights in waters near Newfoundland and the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. The treaty addressed debts, Loyalist property, prisoners, and access to the Mississippi.
Yorktown had been the last major land victory, but fighting and diplomacy continued afterward. The peace settlement therefore came seven years after the Declaration of Independence. The treaty is distinct from the Declaration: the Declaration announced separation, while the Treaty of Paris secured international recognition.