What treaty in 1783 granted the United States independence?

The Treaty of Paris granted the United States independence from Great Britain in 1783. Signed on September 3, 1783, it formally ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized the thirteen former colonies as free, sovereign, and independent states.

The treaty followed the American victory at Yorktown in 1781, where General Cornwallis surrendered to American and French forces. Peace negotiations then took place in Paris, with American representatives including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay. Britain agreed to recognize American independence and accept the Mississippi River as the western boundary of the new nation.

The Treaty of Paris is sometimes confused with the Declaration of Independence, which announced the colonies' separation from Britain in 1776. The declaration began the political break, while the 1783 treaty secured British recognition after the war. The treaty also addressed fishing rights, debts, Loyalist property, and the withdrawal of British troops.