The Treaty of Paris recognized United States independence after the Revolutionary War in 1783.
American and British representatives signed the treaty in Paris on September 3, 1783. Britain acknowledged the United States as free, sovereign and independent states, formally ending the war between the two powers.
The agreement followed the British defeat at Yorktown in 1781 and a lengthy period of negotiations. It also established boundaries for the new nation, including territory reaching west to the Mississippi River. Britain retained Canada, while Spain recovered Florida from Britain in a related settlement.
The treaty is distinct from the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration announced the colonies' decision to separate in 1776; the Treaty of Paris secured international recognition of that independence seven years later.