The Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolutionary War in 1783, part of the founding story celebrated by America250.
American and British negotiators signed the treaty in Paris on September 3, 1783. Britain recognized the independence of the United States and accepted boundaries reaching west to the Mississippi River, north to the Great Lakes, and south to Spanish Florida. The agreement also addressed fishing rights, debts, and the treatment of Loyalists.
The treaty followed the American victory at Yorktown in 1781, but peace negotiations took time. The military conflict had largely stopped, yet the legal settlement required diplomacy involving several countries. Separate agreements with France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic formed part of the broader peace settlement.
This Treaty of Paris should not be confused with the 1783 preliminary articles or with later treaties bearing the same name. The 1783 agreement is the document that formally concluded the American Revolutionary War and recognized American sovereignty.