The Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolutionary War took effect on May 12, 1784.
The treaty was signed in Paris on September 3, 1783, by representatives of Great Britain and the United States. It recognized the former Thirteen Colonies as free, sovereign, and independent states and set boundaries for the new nation.
Signing did not immediately make the agreement legally effective. The treaty required ratification by both governments. The United States ratified it on January 14, 1784, while the final exchange and British ratification process led to its effective date of May 12, 1784.
The Treaty of Paris is often described as the document that ended the Revolution, but it was part of a wider Peace of Paris. Separate agreements at Versailles involved Britain, France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic. The American treaty specifically settled the war between Great Britain and the United States.