What document formally ended the American Revolutionary War?

The Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War. Signed on September 3, 1783, it was an agreement between Great Britain and the United States that recognized American independence and established the terms of peace.

The treaty acknowledged the thirteen former colonies as free, sovereign, and independent states. It also set the new nation’s western boundary at the Mississippi River, its northern boundary near the Great Lakes, and granted Americans fishing rights off Newfoundland. Britain agreed to withdraw its troops and recognized the United States as a separate country.

The fighting had largely stopped after the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781, but the war did not legally conclude immediately. Peace negotiations continued for years, and the treaty was later ratified by the Confederation Congress in January 1784. The Treaty of Ghent ended the War of 1812, while the Treaty of Versailles ended World War I, making both tempting but incorrect choices here.