When did Congress ratify the Treaty of Paris of 1783?

Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris of 1783 on January 14, 1784.

The treaty had been signed in Paris on September 3, 1783, but signing and ratification were separate steps. The Congress of the Confederation approved the treaty several months later in Annapolis, Maryland, where the national government was meeting under the Articles of Confederation.

The ratification occurred in the Old Senate Chamber of the Maryland State House. The treaty formally ended the War of American Independence and required Britain to recognize the United States as independent. It also set boundaries and addressed issues such as access to the Mississippi River and the treatment of debts and property.

The date is easy to confuse with September 3, 1783, the signing date, or November 25, 1783, when British troops evacuated New York City. British ratification and the exchange of ratified copies followed later, with the exchange taking place in Paris on May 12, 1784.